In recent years, parents of over 24,000 students in central Taiwan have been sending their elementary-school-age children off to buxiban (cram schools) to help them obtain "gifted student" status, hoping against hope that their little tykes can make it into schools that accept less than 1 % of applicants. It seems that the "objectionable practice" of separating junior-high-school students according to ability has once again raised its ugly head.
近日，中部兩萬四千多名小學生為了取得「資優生」資格，被家長送進補習班，盡一切能力希望能擠進那不到百分之一的門檻，儼然是國中「能力分班」陋規再度復活。