Identity Arbitrage by Gaokao Migrants
After being banned from taking the high-school entrance examination for not holding a Shanghai hukou (household registration), the 15-year-old girl Zhan Haite and her family are fighting for equal education opportunities for the children of migrant workers now. And this raises heat debate about National College Entrance Examination (NCEE, Chinese pronounced as Gaokao) migrants. Earlier this year, a notice transmitted by the General Office of the State Council specially emphasized that in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai where the floating population was high, these Gaokao migrants shall be restricted.
Why are so many Gaokao migrants? First of all, the migration of population is a very important reason. With freely floating of population brought about by the market economy, it is unrealistic for people to stay in one place for several decades. For example, the household register of a person is in Hubei, but he is very likely working in Guangdong. If he has children, where is suitable to participate in Gaokao for his children? Due to consideration of convenience, of course it’s better in Guangdong. The 2011 Development Report of Chinese Floating Population indicates that up to October 1st, 2010, estimated national floating population is 221 million. In the trans-provincial inflow population, Guangdong occupies 30.62%, Zhejiang 23.61%, Jiangsu 9.72%, Shanghai 9.51%, Beijing 9.07%, and Fujian 4.27%. The inflow population of these six provinces and cities occupies 86.80% of total nation.
But the more important reason lies in the current enrollment quota of Gaokao. Due to various reasons, Beijing and Shanghai takes more enrollment quota of Gaokao than other provinces. It is reported that the college entrance rate in Beijing is 86% in 2012 while 76% in Henan province with much more population. If considering the entrance rate of famous universities, it is estimated that the difference of the two is even larger. That is to say, with the same IQ and EQ, a student with Shanghai or Beijing Hukou has bigger chance to go top university than students with Hukou of other provinces. In other words, the reason of Gaokao migrants behind the equal education opportunities actually lies in an “identity arbitrage”.
Of course, residents in Shanghai and Beijing can’t accept Gaokao migrants for the increased competition in Gaokao. But can they solve the problem by way of strengthening the supervision of the qualifications for examinations registering? In my opinion it’s very difficult.
Because the degree of competition of Gaokao in each province is not the same, since the beginning of Gaokao system, the Gaokao migrants have always existed. Many parents have migrated their children to provinces where enrollment scores are low through various means. In Hainan Province, a highest-score student of Gaokao in one year was even a Gaokao migrant. As long as the differences in competition among all provinces still exist, naturally such interest arbitrage will happen and only show in different patterns: the inside can realize it through the job transfer within the system; the rich can realize it though transmitting interests to relevant institutions and individuals; while those who have insufficient resources can only realize it through enduring a long time — just like what is described in the notice of the State Council, i.e. “on the basis of the legal and stable professions, the legal and stable residence (including leasing) of migrant workers in locality and the age limits of participation in social insurance according to state regulations, and the age limits of continuous school attendance in locality for their children who move with them ”.
Then, is there no solution for Gaokao migrants? Well, not exactly. A simple way is to permit colleges’ independent recruitment replacing the current Gaokao quota system based on provinces. It’s better to change the current Gaokao that each province take only charge of itself into a national centralized examination, and then all universities enroll new students according to their own features, instead of making great efforts in “strengthening the supervision of the qualifications for examinations registering”. From this perspective, it’s time to learn from SAT in US and consider the feasible solution of independent recruitment.
Originally published on China Times | 2012-11-29
