The third installment of this year's "Diagnosing China's Economy 2026" series features Professor Yao Yang, Dean of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Dishui Lake Advanced Finance Institute, sharing his insightful perspectives. The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal has, for the first time, suggested "exploring the extension of compulsory education." Yao Yang expressed his delight that "exploring pathways to extend compulsory education to the high school level" is now on the agenda, and he looks forward to concrete plans being formulated within five years. "By 2035, we must achieve full coverage of 12-year compulsory education." "In my view, we might not even need 12 years; 10 years could suffice, potentially reducing it by two years," he stated.
Yao Yang explained his reasoning, noting that the third year of junior high and the third year of senior high are largely spent on rote exercises and test preparation, with little new knowledge being acquired. "Many of us came through a 10-year education system, and haven't we turned out well? In any case, full coverage is expected by 2035, eliminating the senior high school entrance exam so that everyone progresses together; this is an ideal scenario." Yao Yang emphasized that during this process, the education authorities must take genuine responsibility and strictly enforce the policy of reducing student workloads. Currently, the burden reduction policy is not being strictly implemented. He believes the solution is straightforward: "Conduct random spot checks, asking students directly instead of teachers; if any student is found to have more than three hours of homework daily, impose heavy penalties on the school. It would only take a few penalties to be effective."
"The key issue, I suspect, is that the mindset within the education authorities themselves has not yet shifted," Yao Yang remarked, suggesting they still prioritize metrics like "how many students get into Tsinghua or Peking University," essentially still believing in a selection-based model. Otherwise, the situation where universities engage in various forms of disguised selection wouldn't persist. He pointed out that some universities even recruit students directly from among junior high school graduates, which he finds absurd. Various types of "youth programs" and "special programs" continue to proliferate. Some youth programs have been running for over forty years; have they been successful? Largely not.
"Frankly, the achievements of most graduates from these youth programs are not necessarily greater than mine (this is not meant as boasting). Is there any real value in running these youth programs? Not only do they continue to exist, but they are multiplying. This indicates that our educators have fundamentally failed to recognize the core problem. When universities engage in such practices, primary and secondary schools naturally follow suit. Especially in some smaller cities, the focus is entirely on data: admission rates to top-tier universities become the sole benchmark for evaluating and rewarding high schools."
"The Ministry of Education needs to get serious, conducting unannounced inspections and random checks. Instead of investing immense effort in regulating after-school tutoring centers, it should first ensure proper management within schools themselves. The current academic pressure inside schools is already suffocating for children," he said. Yao Yang stressed the need for continuous meetings and repeated emphasis, treating workload reduction as a genuinely critical priority. "I believe the Ministry of Education has not truly prioritized this either. To some extent, the current education system is 'damaging' rather than 'nurturing' our children. Having been at Peking University for many years, I deeply feel that while students are excellent, they are increasingly lacking in creativity, becoming homogenized."
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