"The native test takers in Shanghai will be under greater pressure if the ministry allows the migrant population to take the national university entrance exam in Shanghai," Li Yiping, deputy secretary general of Shanghai government, was quoted by Beijing News as saying.

Still, he can understand the Ministry of Education's position.

"The quality of education and exams vary among different provinces," he said. "The current situation is unfair to the children of migrant families, who now have no right to choose where they will take their university entrance exams."

The Ministry of Education's proposal is not being embraced by people who have a Beijing residence permit.

"It'll encourage more of the people who come to Beijing and Shanghai to compete for limited educational resources," Yu Danning, a 27-year-old Beijing native, told China Daily. "And population pressures will influence housing prices, traffic and the quality of life in the city."