A storm has erupted in China over its hyper-competitive education system, after oversubscribed private schools in Shanghai sought to filter intake by conducting tests and checks not only on prospective pupils but also parents and grandparents.
Growing wealth has prompted a boom in private school enrolments as Chinese parents seek advantage for children. But while pupil intake has soared, the number of schools has fallen, leaving those remaining at bursting point — and prompting ever more extreme methods to ensure only the highest-qualified pupils get in.
Bewildered parents took to social media last week after being forced to take IQ tests before interviews at two Shanghai primary schools. They were also asked to complete questionnaires detailing their own educational and professional credentials, as well as those of the students’ grandparents.