Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT





During my driving lesson in the suburb of Beijing a few weekends ago, I asked my instructor how I should react to varying road conditions.



I was surprised to hear him answer, "You don't need to know that. The driving test doesn't include it."



The thing is, I thought I was paying him to teach me how to drive, not just to pass the test so I could get my license.



Of course, by and large, the point of the lessons is to ensure that I pass my test so that I can get my license to drive in China.



But I couldn't help but think, shouldn't I be learning all there is to know about driving?



I dare say that such knowledge would be useful, especially for a novice driver.



While I still have reservations about how my instructor teaches his students, after passing a pre-driving test last weekend, I'm more concerned now with how this country approaches examination.



During my pre-test, I was astonished to find my instructor in the car with me, directing my every move - and before I had time to even think or drive on my own, the test was over, and I had passed.



I learned after that the pass rate for the test is closely linked to my instructor's performance evaluation - or, in other words, his pay. The more students he has who pass the test, the more money he gets.



So, while I passed "with flying colors," I'm left somewhat reluctant to drive as I feel unprepared to face what is coming as I sit behind the wheel - and that cannot be good for me or anyone else on the road.



"It's never too late to learn," according to an old Chinese saying.



But even if I continue with lessons to improve my driving, I'm afraid I won't get any further, given that the Chinese-style of education is only exam-oriented.



China has long been ridiculed for its rigid education system, known for producing "exam machines" rather than real talent.



From a young age, schools only value impartial knowledge and skills, drilling just selected excerpts and equations into our brains through persistent testing that fails to cultivate more innovative and inquisitive minds.



Some argue that China's education system operates as more of an exam center that produces only winners and losers.



The theory could help explain why Chinese students who study abroad find it difficult to adapt to an environment that encourages free discussion and challenges their ideas.



In China, for far too long, we have been taught just to accept whatever our teachers tell us.



Knowledge can be gained through experience, while tests can be used to consolidate experience.



But a failure to recognize this has left teachers and parents to focus on scores rather than on what students have learned in the process.



As a result, students concentrate more on getting by as opposed to gaining knowledge. Perhaps, this also contributes to why more students are resorting to cheating these days.



Hopefully, it's not too late to right the wrongs of China's education system. Surely, we cannot keep on surviving as the "world's largest exam center" much longer.



Our country wants to foster creativity among young people.



But we can only do this when bright minds receive tests that are truly an interesting challenge for them, and not exams that do more harm than good.



The author is a reporter with the Global Times. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn