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May 1, 2015

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No easy solution to extra math class puzzle

THE Shanghai Education Commission has banned schools from recruiting students based on extracurricular math credentials, but that hasn’t stopped parents from enrolling children in so-called “cram courses” to improve their chances of getting into the best schools.

The most popular courses are related to the International Mathematical Olympiad, a global competition that requires demanding skills in advanced math. A five-year study by a research team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University found that 71 percent of primary school students in 400 local families surveyed spent more than nine hours a week on math Olympiad training. That included after-hours private classes and self-study.

The ratio of families sending children to math Olympiad classes doubled in the five years, while the cost of the extracurricular classes rose 60 percent to 8,743 yuan (US$1,400).

“Almost three-quarters of my son’s classmates are learning Olympiad math,” said Xiao Rong, whose 10-year son will go to middle school next year.

“I dared not risk my son’s educational future, though it means I have to spend weekends taking him to classes and then helping him with homework.”

While parents may be pushy about such classes, education authorities are not. The commission issued a directive in 2011 prohibiting schools from using any scores or prizes achieved in after-school classes in evaluating admission applications.

The commission said it was concerned that too many families were placing too much pressure on young people by resorting to cram schools, not only in math but in other disciplines such as languages.

The International Mathematical Olympiad was started in 1959. It’s an annual test of six problems for pre-collegiate students, with each problem worth seven points.

The selection process varies from country to country. China fields a national team every year drawn from competitions at the provincial and regional levels. Most students aren’t bright enough to achieve competition class, but their parents are satisfied that taking an Olympiad math course at all is achievement enough.

According to parents interviewed by the survey team, the top priority in enrolling children in Olympiad math is to improve their chances of getting into the best middle schools.

Anther reason was to improve overall academic performance.

“At the very least, such training can help my son solve difficult questions on school tests,” Xiao said.

“Most math exams include one or two questions that are very difficult for students who have not received Olympiad math training.”

No matter what the education commission says, parents don’t believe that admissions officials always turn a blind eye to after-school academic achievements.

“Parents can mention their children’s awards on registration forms and students can also say something about their performance in Olympiad math during interviews,” Xiao said.

If difficulties exist in using Olympiad performance in middle school applications, that’s not the case at the college level. Many universities place some weight on those results, adding impetus to parents’ motivation.

A woman surnamed Cai told Shanghai Daily that her eight-year-old son has been enrolled at an Olympiad math training center for 18 months and spends about 90 minutes a week studying. However, she said she will not continue the classes next semester.

“I enrolled him to broaden his mind and help him learn creative problem-solving , but I think the course is too rigid in stressing structured math models,” she said.

Other disenchanted parents said they found the courses too time consuming, depriving children from sleep and leisure activities. Pupils in Shanghai spend about 30 hours a week in school. Adding nine to 10 hours on Olympiad math after school often tests the limits of young minds.

Some parents complained to Jiao Tong researchers that the after-school classes frustrated children who couldn’t handle advanced math problems.

Some educators have warned that pushing children too hard to learn math might actually discourage their interest in it.

The report concluded that education authorities in Shanghai should try to standardize educational quality across the city to eliminate the idea that some schools are better than others, feeding parent frenzy about extracurricular tutoring.




 

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