High school entrance exam will remain, education authorities clarify

教育主管部门澄清：中考将予于保留。

Education authorities in Chengdu, Sichuan province and Shanghai have clarified recent online claims suggesting that the high school entrance exam, or zhongkao, would be abolished in some pilot programs.

四川省成都市和上海市的教育主管部门已就近期网传部分试点项目将取消中考的说法作出澄清。

Authorities stated that the new educational reforms focus on integrated training models combing middle school with high schools but do not equate to canceling zhongkao, a crucial academic assessment.

相关部门表示，新一轮教育改革重点推进初高中一体化培养模式，但此举并非取消中考，中考仍是关键的学业评价环节。

In Chengdu, the education bureau recently announced that starting in 2025, a 12-year coherent training program will be introduced in eight selected pilot schools. Under the program, students enrolled in specific continuous education classes may proceed without taking the zhongkao, though they retain the option to exit the program and take the exam if desired.

成都市教育局近期宣布，自2025年起，将在8所试点学校退行12年一贯制培养项目。参与该项目特定贯通培养班级的学生，可选择不参加中考继续升学，同时保留退出项目并参加中考的选择权。

The bureau emphasized that the pilot is limited in scope — involving only eight schools — and is not a citywide cancellation of the zhongkao. The reform is designed to build a consistent educational pathway from primary through high school, shifting the emphasis from exam scores to holistic development.

当局强调，该试点范围有限，仅涉及8所学校，并非全市取消中考。此次改革旨在构建从小学到高中的连贯教育路径，将重心从考试分数转向全面发展。

Similarly, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission responded to public inquiries regarding its newly released plan for improving high school education quality, which also includes piloting a longer-term coherent training model.

同样，上海市教委回应了公众对其新发布的高中教育质量提升计划的问询，回应也包含试点推行更长期的一贯制的培养模式。

The commission explained that the approach aims to unify curriculum design and optimize resource sharing across different school stages, but it does not mean abolishing the zhongkao. Facing fluctuating waves of secondary school-age populations, the city aims to optimize resource allocation by developing integrated secondary schools combining middle schools with high schools, the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

该委员会解释说，该办法旨在统一课程设计，优化不同学段的资源共享，但并不意味着取消中考。面对中学学龄人口的波动，该市计划通过发展初高中一体化的综合中学来优化资源配置，该委员会于周三的一份声明中如此表示。

This flexible approach helps manage enrollment fluctuations while promoting cross-campus sharing of facilities like labs, libraries and specialized courses — making educational resources both efficient and adaptable, it said.

这种灵活的方法有助于应对招生人数的变动，同时推动实验室、图书馆和特色课程等设施的跨校园共享，使教育资源既高效又具适应性。

Abolishing the zhongkao has been a long-term demand for many parents who fear that their children would be forced to enter vocational schools if they did not perform well in the exam.

许多家长长期要求取消中考，他们担心孩子中考考得不好就会被迫进入职业学校。

In fact, public concerns regarding the diversion between regular and vocational education mainly stem from the perception that students have limited prospects once they enter vocational schools. There has long been a stigma attached to vocational education, often labeled as inferior education or education for those eliminated from the academic track.

事实上，公众对普通教育和职业教育分流的担忧，主要源于学生一种认知，即学生一旦进入职业学校后发展前景有限。长期以来，职业教育一直是一种背负着污名，经常被贴上低等教育或学术赛道淘汰者的教育的标签。

However, education authorities have reiterated that it would not abolish the exam, and vocational education is an important part of the overall education system.

但是教育部门一再重申不会取消考试，且职业教育是整体教育体系的重要组成部分。

In 2022, Chen Ziji, then head of the department of vocational and adult education at the Ministry of Education, said the diversion of students to vocational and regular education is necessary, as vocational education plays a vital role in diversifying higher secondary education.

2022年，时任教育部职业与成人教育司司长陈子吉表示，学生向职业和普通教育的分流是必要的，因为职业教育在高中教育多元化中发挥着至关重要的作用。

It offers varied pathways for students with different strengths and supports employment and regional development, he said.

他说，它为具有不同优势的学生提供了多样发展路径，并支持就业和区域发展。

The Ministry of Education is working to enhance the quality and appeal of vocational programs while promoting better integration between educational tracks, he said.

他表示，教育部正致力于提升职业教育项目的质量和吸引力，同时推动不同教育路径之间的更好融合。

Xiong Bingqi, president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, clarified that recent education pilot programs in Chengdu and Shanghai are being misinterpreted by the public. While these reforms introduce integrated training models, they do not signal the elimination of zhongkao.

21世纪教育研究院院长熊丙奇澄清，近期成都和上海的教育试点正在被公众曲解。这些改革虽然引入了一体化培养模式，但并不意味着中考的淘汰。

He emphasized that while the reforms provide families with more educational options, they do not fundamentally change the competitive nature of high school admissions, particularly for top-tier schools.

他强调，虽然改革为家庭提供了更多的教育选择，但它们并没有从根本上改变高中招生的竞争性质，特别是对顶级学校而言。

He noted that removing the zhongkao would require deeper structural reforms, including eliminating the hierarchical ranking of schools and bridging the gap between regular and vocational education.

他指出，取消中考需要更深层次的结构性改革，包括消除学校的等级排名以及缩小普通教育和职业教育之间的差距。

He further emphasized that the current reforms should be viewed as incremental improvements rather than fundamental systemic changes.

他进一步强调，当前的改革应被视为渐进式改进，而非根本性的系统性变革。

"The public's anticipation to abolish the zhongkao is understandable, but it requires establishing a more balanced high school education system first," Xiong noted.

“公众对废除中考的期待是可以理解的，但首先需要建立一个更均衡的高中教育体系，”熊（官员）指出。

He added that the revised Law on Vocational Education in 2022 has defined vocational education as a parallel type rather than a lower-level pathway of regular education, which calls for more integration among the two education types.

他补充说，2022年修订后的《职业教育法》已将职业教育定义为与普通教育并行的类型，而非普通教育的低层次途径，这要求两种教育类型之间实现更多融合。