THOUSANDS of pre-school children were subjected to recruitment “exams” at 19 private primary schools this month, pushed by parents seeking to give them what is considered a better education.

Only about one child in 20 actually secured an enrollment slot. The exams covered academic abilities, musical skills, physical activities and mental acuity. Some schools even asked parents to fill out questionnaires about themselves or write essays.

At Hangzhou Changjiang Experimental Elementary School, teachers told stories and children being assessed were asked to act the part of a character in the story.

“It is to check the children’s understanding ability and attentiveness,” said school principal Ding Hangying. “Language ability, emotional control, logical thinking, body coordination, teamwork and adaptability are the main qualities we are looking for.”

Those failing to gain a slot in private schools have to go to public schools run by the government.

Private education, even though it costs plenty, is popular with parents who believe a good start in primary school will give their children a leg-up as they face exams on each rung of the ladder to the best high schools and colleges.

The demand for private education far outweighs the supply, which is why the recruitment process was initiated to sift through applicants and find the best.

One parent, who declined to be identified, said that private schools do a better job of teaching children and classrooms are less crowded.

In private schools, classroom sizes are about 30 pupils, compared with about 50 in public schools.

“They can afford smaller classes and hire better teachers at higher salaries,” the parent said. “They create a better learning environment because they have the money to do that.”

In Hangzhou, public schools are free except for fees that include lunches, uniforms and insurance. The intake area for school is the immediate vicinity.

Private primary schools draw students from all parts of the city and charge a minimum tuition of 20,000 yuan (US$3,076) a year. Some of the schools have international sections, which prepare kids to go to middle school abroad. They cost even more.

Private schools also organize summer camps. Those held overseas for children nine years and older can cost as much as 30,000 yuan.

The schools also provide intensive training courses in subjects such as English and math. Though not obligatory, many parents enroll their children to give them added skills for future exam-taking. The special courses can cost thousands of yuan annually.

“I already set aside 500,000 yuan for my daughter’s elementary school education,” said a parent named Chen Jun.

To improve her skills, Chen insisted his daughter take supplementary math and English classes in pre-school, and learn violin.

He was just one of hundreds of anxious parents, waiting at the gate of Jinxiu Yucai Elementary School before 5am to make sure his daughter was one of the first interviewed.

“I figure teachers are more likely to give higher scores when they first start work,” he said.

Examination and interviews vary at different private schools. One thing they have in common is looking beyond scores on paper.

For examples, children are asked to skip rope and bounce balls to judge their physical agility. They are asked to spot small differences in two pictures that look almost exactly alike. They are asked to build a block structure, do a jigsaw puzzle, tell a story and repeat words in a foreign language.

Shidai Primary School asked children to “fish” as many cards as they could with a toy pole in three minutes’ time. Xu Zhenyu, the teacher at the exam, said the game “tests body coordination, attentiveness and teamwork when fish wires become tangled.”

At Hangzhou New Century Foreign Language School, some applicants are asked how the mayor could improve the city.

“We want to see if the children are able to observe problems around them and come up with solutions of their own,” said teacher Ma Na, who added that the school wants to cultivate individual thinking.

Sun Huimin, vice principal at Daguan Primary School, said his school “prefers to find children who fit its particular philosophy and ethos.”

At Daguan, the emphasis is on music and the school looks for children with musical abilities and appreciation.

“I don’t think pre-school children should be subjected to coaching classes to train them in subjects they will learn at school because I think it weakens their curiosity,” said Tang Caibin, principal of Shidai Elementary School. “Why would a child be interested in things that have already been learned?”

Tang said it’s more important for pre-schoolers to have good family training.

“During the interviews, we focus on how children behave, how they treat others and how they control their emotions,” Tang said. “Those are the kinds of things they learn in the home.”

Thus, the caliber of parents is as important as the abilities of their children to some private schools. Parents are sometimes required to produce their own academic certificates, and some have to fill out questionnaires, including questions such as: “what if a school’s education philosophy goes against yours?” At one school, parents were asked to write an essay in 30 minutes about the value of education.

Is all this really necessary? That’s a matter of opinion.

“If a child is really good, then gold will glitter no matter whether the child is enrolled in a public or private school,” said Daguan Primary School’s Sun. “The most important thing is to find a school that is appropriate to the child.”

Teng Meifang, principal at New Century Foreign Language School, said choosing the right education path is akin to choosing a life experience.

“The starting point and the ending point are not necessarily the cause and effect,” Tend said.

Psychologist Zhou Guoling, director of Children Psychology Department of Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, said pushy parents don’t help. Their anxiety about education can cause children to lack confidence and blame themselves if they don’t achieve what’s expected of them.