Exams : China rules the Internet...

TEACHERS' LOUNGE

+ B2 & above

  "Internet cafes close ahead of exams in China"

BEIJING (AP)   --    Teenagers  tempted by  computer  games  when

they should be studying for the national college entrance  exam  this

month won't have  anywhere  to  escape  to in central China, where

Internet cafes have closed.

High  school  seniors  gearing  up  for the massive national college

entrance  exams  in Linchuan in China's central province of Jiangxi

have  been able to focus only  on studying now that all of the  town's

Internet cafes have closed, said an official with the Linchuan culture

affairs bureau, who  refused to give his  name  as  is  common with

Chinese officials.

"During  this  critical period,  our  goal  is  to create  an  educational

society for students that is free of distractions," the official said.

"Besides Internet cafes, there's not much else in town the kids can

waste time with."

Each  year, millions  of  students  take  the  two-day  test   on a wide

range of subjects, which is  the sole  determinant of their  entry into

university. Only about 25 percent  of them get into university and the

vast  majority  of  those  who don't  make the cut go straight into the

work force.

This year, about 9.5 million students are expected to take the exam

on June 7 and 8, a slight dip from 10.2 million last year, according

to  a  report   posted   on   the   website  of   the   Communist   Party

newspaper People's Daily.

The  immense  pressure  - which  families  share, often   waiting

anxiously  at  hotels  during  exams   - has   prompted   Ministry  of 

Education  officials   to  consider  reforming  the   generations-old

tradition.

China announced plans earlier this year to allow students to take

subject-specific  tests  and  introduce other measures besides the

exam, such as considering leadership and volunteer experience,

to  ease  the  stress  the  students  undergo  as  they  compete for

coveted spots in colleges.

Cheating is also common during the tests.

More about 2,200 students were caught last year using wireless

mini earplugs and other electronic devices that feed in answers.

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