- China’s growth has been fueled by low-skilled cheap labor. As
the population ages and labor costs rise, China must create more
high-value jobs, which are often connected with innovation. -
Recent education reforms seek to foster innovation and
entrepreneurship. They include relaxing central control of the
curriculum, retraining teachers, reducing student academic load,
and broadening college admissions criteria beyond test results.
- Central to the reform debate is the College Entrance Exam, or
gaokao, which has played a role in Chinese culture for
centuries. Some educators have started to experiment but
reforming the gaokao will require a deeper shift in Chinese
attitudes. On November 20, 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao of China
invited six education leaders in higher and basic education to
the state council for a special meeting. In his usual
straightforward and humble manner, Wen told them of a visit with
Qian Xuesen, a well-known rocket scientist who had studied at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, re