That means everbody is taught to go around buyin things to be happy & demand the supply that makes the economy go round so the folks who make it & own it can get rich. Then it becomes real flash for people to flash brand names even if the brand names are phony, just to show how much happier they are than the people who haven't been able to buy flash yet. It's sort of like a circlejerk, if you've been there & know about that.

@Napoleon
-"in the south of England where Chinese teachers are being brought into struggling schools and making them a success."

What is a success? It was tried in Germany, and it didn't work let alone being anywhere successful.

Chinese students are far worse than the rest of the world. It's a test based education, where kids waste too much time studying, learn very little, except indoctrination. It's to control their heads not to learn more.

The learning efficiency is nightmarish in [mainland] China. 10 hours of study every day just to be as good as everyone else, or at best, slightly better. No time for childhood and play, the instinctive and natural way for kids to learn.

Check the PISA results and compare the average hours of study. China's education is a lot, but not on the rise. Not many people in the west would send their kids to schools or teachers like that, just to memorize sh*t and get a a better grade in math.

Plus, imagine how far the western education is already behind the new century's demands, so you can imagine, it puts the China's education, another few decades behind what it actually needed for the students of today.

@Dudeson

Your comparing Germany and China again and making it the whole world.

German education from what I've heard is fine. I remember working with the Hubei government and them sending 20 primary school teachers to Germany as that was a system that they admired.

It was in all the papers (British ones) how these Chinese teachers are coming to Britain and improving the system and the students results in a state education system ruined by strikes, appeasement to the easy life, mis-management of funding and the London elite.

Yes, it's a test based system, that's what education is, so why not work towards it and structure the system to it. Until you can pass your O Levels by performing an interpretive dance then lets do what works eh?

Britain's education is in a bit of a mess at the moment and could be accused of living off it's legacy a bit. No one could argue that Chinese education isn't on the up, could they?

What has probably happened is that you've arrived in China and seen differences in methods of education that perhaps differ from what you were used to in Germany.

What I hope you're not saying (for your own sake) is that Chinese education and students are the worst in the world. What you would then be saying is that china cant hold a flame to systems like Afghanistan in which woman can't be educated or Saudi, a system where every iota of education is dominated by religion, or even (insert random African country here) where there isn't even a system at all to mention.

Just to put some perspective on what you say, that's all.

There must be some reason that Britain, Italy, Greece, Serbia etc are looking closely at the Chinese system. They wouldn't be doing it if there was nothing to be gained, would they?

I've watched a BBC documentary about the experience of both Chinese teachers and British students in a recent experiment. The overall impression I got was that both parties were, at best, ambivalent. I've not seen any evidence, either way, that 'the' system, students or results have seen improvement. On the contrary, the only assessment I've come across is that the 'experiment' may continue.

The German education system is far from being o.k. and is as messed up as any other place's.

The problem is that there is a gap between what is required and what is provided.

We have students in Germany that can recite and analyze a Shakespeare poem in 3 or 4 languages, but they unable, to write and conduct a work plan, organize a team, communicate with different teams, etc.

Those are all requirements in the global workplace we are living in.

I am not saying that, we should skip math and other important subjects altogether. But we should liberalize contents, early detection of talents, early detection of interests, strength and weaknesses of students, rather than streamlining them 12 years through school learning, winning some, losing even more, and in the last 3 month of their school life say: "Well what do you want to do next? your math sucks, so forget science."

We need to build strong people, with skills and interests, today you can enroll in online courses world wide, the technology is so far progressed but we are still fumbling around like it's 1970 or 1980.
Testing this, over and over again, to the result, that we need ten years to confirm, something we already know from the 3rd grade.

"Yeah that student sucks at this, and this student is great at this! Oh well!...now it's too late, now try your best with that paper."

So we are 20 years behind market and social demands, so add another 20 to 30 years to that in China.

Chinese students suck, not because they are stupid, but guess why...because they are educated that way.
They are memorizing, they have, no they must agree with the teacher, even if the teacher makes an obvious mistake, they must obey. Then, when they go to college, they are told, now you can use your opinion,.....[a little], also western influences including western thinking is not accepted, allowed.

So what do you think a student like that can deliver, in a scientific, engineering, or other fields, without wasting another few years on adapting?

It's not me saying anything, mainland Chinese studetns have been proving that they cannot follow western college and University standards easily, most have to spend a few extra semesters, if not years, to catch up.

Who can blame them, the Chinese educations system is a mess, bribes, teachers "helping" in key exams, unnecessary over hours of studying, autocratic leadership in schools, no or little team work, critical thinking, problem solving skills, ethics, etc. are not taught or encouraged.

I don't care how good my kids math grades are, if it means, no happy childhood, occasional corporal punishment, lack of ethics, lack of critical thinking, lack of problem solving,....No Thanks!!!

You can study math with the www. or get a tutor, if you need to push your kid to Harvard.

I have worked very close with Chinese teachers in some of the countries elite schools, and it's a farce, and students are not better, and most certainly they are most def. NOT BETTER OFF.

We decided when our daughter reaches primary school level, it's either international school or GoodBye Middle Kingdom.

Also that is what most parents are planning, if they can afford it.
I don't know one parent, or student, for that matter. Who wouldn't give up studying in China, for going to school in the West.

I am not only comparing Germany, and China. Take Germany and replace it with Europe. Take Finland, Sweden, amazing education systems far above Germany.

Using Afghanistan and other third world countries, are good, because in direct compare, you are right China edu. is even worse.

In those countries you mention, you need religious nuts, poverty or plain way, to make the domestic education system suck. In China you don't need anything, the gov., greed, lack of logic, compassion, ethics, mixed with a sprinkle of corruption, and misconduct. You have it all....lol..

I am not being negative, but let's say, experienced in the field of education in China. If you need the names of the elite/ivy leage Chinese school in BJ, P.M. me and I let you know what I saw there.

I thought my time at the German paratroops was a fun, relaxing holiday, compared to what I saw there, in terms of pressure, corporal punishment and other mobbing and misconduct.

P.S.
Sorry no time for commas, shower time! lol

The Chinese edu. system is rigged, and many countries don't know them. They see them scoring high in international tests and assessments. What they don't see, is that the testing system is full of it.

Guanxi, etc. When they see that students study twice as long to get to a slightly, and I mean slightly better result, educators worldwide see the problem there.

Check PISA the last 2 PISA results. Not exactly that Chinese students excelled over the rest of the world. They were better than most knowingly struggling countries. But compared to other countries, the Chinese kids [especially the school in SH] did a little better than some European top edu. countries.

But a department of Chinese teachers coming to Britain or Italy and running their department in a Chinese manner, then getting better results than the local teachers, how is that rigged?
Surely Mrs Wang the science teachers guanxi doesnt extend as far as Naples or Norwich?

I think the Chinese system is a lot better than you're giving it credit for.

While you're at it, I think we should drop Math and replace it with Maths, there you go, education system enhanced 10 fold.

'.........then getting better results than the local teachers, how is that rigged?'

Can you provide a link to empirical evidence that 'better results' are being achieved and maintained over a period of a year or even a semester. I would be interested in seeing this evidence. I have my doubts but it would be a pleasant surprise if a bog standard class of students (not a specially selected control group) were 'improved' in the way you say. Chinese teachers in China generally have the support of parents; often home is an extension of the classroom. This type of support system is not as a prevalent in England. I'm not doubting the Chinese teachers abilities but English students are.........different.