Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, is reporting that applications to sit for the 3-day national university entrance exam are down appreciably.

Minister of Education Zhou Ji had predicted that the overall number of applicants would exceed 10 million – last year’s total was 10.5 million – but figures from local governments suggest the number of students taking part may be far fewer.

Still, can you imagine those numbers!

The exam has long been considered a life-changing opportunity for high school students seeking a better education and, in turn, a better job. But the economic crisis has had an impact. “Since the financial crisis last year, the grim employment situation has broken the ‘employment myth’ for those with a college degree. Some students changed their minds about getting a good job through higher education. They simply quit (from taking the exam),” said an anonymous recruitment officer with the Beijing Institute of Technology.

As I wrote here, the pressure for admission is immense as there are millions of applicants for positions at only a relatively few top-tier universities. The official line is that the drop in applications is due to the economy; I’m wondering if hopelessness about being admitted is a contributing factor.

Read more here.

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