(Mat) 

Hello and welcome to another episode, today we are talking something very important, education. Now as parents, we both have first-hand experience of our kid’s education, I think this will be a good opportunity to compare our attitudes towards educating children. Now I’m sure we’ll have some very ideas on this topic, because of our cultural background, I’m English and you’re Chinese; so we’re not trying to show how one way is better than the other, I think it’s just going to be interesting to explore the differences. So Jocelyn, my first question is very general, in a few sentences can you summarise your view of ‘the main aim or goal of education’?

(Jocelyn)

Yes, I agree with your point, we’re not trying to prove that one way is better, I think we’ll be highlighting that there are some differences and maybe even some similarities. So, for me, I guess I have a typical Chinese parent’s attitude towards education. So to summarise I’d say that education is highly valued and considered to be the key to success in later life. The main aim of education is to go to a good school with the best possible teachers, and to use all the available resources to get the best education possible (and that often means paying tuition fees for the best schools). There should be a lot of peer pressure to perform well, and the competition should be quite intense, because this can push a student to perform at their very best. The ultimate goal is to get into a good university and secure a good job in the future. That's why students in China tend to be very focused and hardworking in their studies.

(Mat) 

That’s interesting and it does differ to my answer. I would say that generally for most parents in the UK, education is also important, but I think there's a greater emphasis on developing individuality and creativity. We encourage students to find their own passions and interests, and to follow them within the framework of their education and these passions might lead to future career decisions. Of course, academic achievement is still important, but there's far less pressure to achieve a certain standard. We also have a more relaxed approach to learning, with a focus on independent thinking and critical analysis. So as parents, we value subjects like music, visual arts, drama as much as maths science and English. Would you say that’s true of Chinese parents?

(Jocelyn) 

I think generally, Chinese parents won’t encourage kids to focus on the arts as much as academic subjects like maths, science, and Chinese. There’s a good reason for this, it’s because in Chinese education, there is a strong focus on high school and university entrance exams (Zhong kao and gao kao), and success is often measured by getting good scores in these exams. Pursuing artistic subjects, on the other hand, might be seen as wasting an opportunity, because these are not so important in these exams. So for this reason, Chinese parents can be quite controlling when it comes to their children's education paths and choices. They may try to influence their children's decision-making or even completely control it, as they believe it's their responsibility to ensure their children's success. So, while individuality and creativity are valued, academic achievement and a secure future are often prioritized above all else.

(Mat)

That’s interesting because my son Oscar (who is 18 now), has spent the last two years of high school studying music, art, drama and languages. He doesn’t do maths or sciences. As a parent, I just wanted to encourage him to follow his passions and explore his creativity. Of course, as a parent, I do worry about his future and whether he'll be able to find a job that he loves, but I believe that if he's happy and passionate about what he does now, he'll find a way to make it work in the future. But I understand how this attitude isn’t practical for most parents and students in China, just because the education system is structured differently. I think that’s a key point in our discussion today, our attitudes as parents are shaped and influenced by the education system we experiences ourselves and the learning environment our kids are actually in.

(Jocelyn)

Yes, that's a great point. I think it's important to understand that our attitudes towards education are shaped by our cultural and social backgrounds, experiences, and the specific education system we are a part of. While I totally agree that creativity and individuality are important, the education system in China is structured differently and therefore, the emphasis is more on academic achievement and getting into a good university to secure a good job in the future. It's not that we don't value the arts, it's just that pursuing them may not be the practical choice for many students in China. Ultimately, as parents, we all want the best for our children, and I believe that our different attitudes towards education reflect our best intentions and efforts to do the right thing for our kids in our very different contexts.

中国教育中，自古以来我们家长深受“学而优则仕”的思想的影响。家长很愿意自己的子女去从政，即使不能从政，也希望自己的子女能够在机关做事。应该说，我们的家长往往把家庭的未来寄托在子女的身上。所以，在培养目标上，子女在更多的时候是要依照家长的意愿来发展的。西方教育中，家长能够考虑到学生的实际情况。在培养目标上，他们希望子女可以根据自己的实际情况来选择适合自己的工作，也就是成为一个快乐的劳动者。

在西方的教育中，虽然也有处世的教育，但是在更多的时候，是去吸纳别人，去尊重别人，在与别人的交往中展现自我。家长也同样鼓励自己孩子保留自己个性化的一部分而不是学会去隐藏自己真实的东西。中国学生和西方学生对比起来比较老练，他们可以把前人积累的经验熟练的运用到实际生活中。西方学生比较张扬，在我们开来似乎是有些不够沉稳

中西方在教育文化方面的差异表现在许多方面，简单加以概括为：反映到思维方式上是抽象和具体的差别，反映到观念态度上则似乎可以理解为西方人更加实用，中国人多少更偏重一些精神感受。但是，这些文化的差异不能说谁优谁劣，这是客观形成的。

摘自《中外教育比较》