In 2024, it was not a good year for the Chinese people. The economy was in decline, severe unemployment, frequent social conflicts, and vicious public security incidents. One group of numbers that reflects the plight of the Chinese people this year is the sharp increase in suicides.
What is most shocking is the recent wave of suicides among young students. In some areas, the situation is particularly serious, with local governments even urgently ordering the suspension of exams to cope with the situation. Are the students in China under such immense pressure? What is wrong with China’s education system?
Independent TV producer Li Jun said in the New Tang Dynasty TV program “Elite Forum” that reports of student suicides have been circulating online this year. Recently, a video went viral with a Ph.D. student adviser named Chen mentioning that 100 students had jumped off buildings in Shenzhen in three months, indicating the national scale. Additionally, reports of student suicides from various regions have spread online. In Suzhou, three middle school students held hands and jumped off a building due to unbearable homework pressure; in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, five high school students recently jumped off together; and in a high school in Shandong Province, four students jumped off within a month. In Chengdu and Chongqing, at the beginning of the 2024 school year, more than 30 children committed suicide, and so on. These reports are truly alarming.
Reporters from Da Ji Yuan interviewed some students, parents, and teachers in Wuhan. According to statistics from a parent group in Wuhan, from September to November 2024, 33 students jumped off buildings in three months, averaging 11 per month. A teacher in the group said that this is a conservative number, as there are more cases. It is said that several districts in Wuhan canceled the high school entrance examination this year due to this reason.
Li Jun emphasized that this phenomenon must be taken seriously by the education authorities. If a child jumps off a building, the entire family may be destroyed. With so many children in distress, it becomes a social disaster.
Former Chinese teacher Zhai Deyun stated on “Elite Forum” that Chinese primary and secondary students face the highest learning pressure in the world. Why do Chinese children go down an extreme path? What psychological issues are at play? It mainly stems from two sources of pressure.
Firstly, there are problems in the school education system. By evaluating students, a grading system is in place, creating a hierarchy. This unintentionally isolates students with higher learning pressures or those with poor learning abilities in certain subjects, making them feel inferior. The pressure is substantial, leading to instances of bullying, peer ridicule, and teachers ignoring students. The campus violence, visible and physical, extends to psychological bullying and ostracization among classmates.
Secondly, in education, there is a significant issue with industrialization. Education being turned into an industry leads to misguided policies, like ranking universities as 985 or 211 schools, urging students to follow a specific path for success. This societal influence becomes a mechanism, pressuring students to conform to certain standards, which bear psychological consequences.
Zhai Deyun highlighted that each child is a unique individual, and a military-like, modular education system doesn’t work for everyone. The pressure from the grading system becomes a primary stress factor for students.
Additionally, the education system imparts a guiding mechanism. For example, prerequisites for high exams or civil service exams may include graduating from 211 universities, leading to a societal direction that if not adhered to, suggests the child will have no future.
Parents must make investments in their children’s growth, lacking discernment and professional knowledge in positioning their children due to the influence of the educational industrialization mindset. They believe that only by entering 985 or 211 universities can their children succeed, lacking awareness of this societal direction.
The purpose of education should be questioned. Are we following the educational model prescribed by the Communist Party? The standards of assessment require introspection; failing to do so results in shaping each child based on a standard that might not fit.
Every child is an individual, incapable of fitting into a single mold. Therefore, Chinese children lack innovative thinking. Many struggle with physical and psychological well-being, fundamental to healthy education. By losing this basic principle, pursuing other goals becomes futile, especially when the standards themselves are flawed, leaving parents unable to reflect on these issues.
In discussions on “Elite Forum,” experts pointed out that the lack of intimacy, trust, and cooperation in Chinese society hampers the development of honest relationships. Establishing trust and closeness is vital starting from the family unit, which unfortunately lacks in Chinese students.
Moreover, the pressure on Chinese primary and secondary students is immense. One speaker who went through the rigorous education system as a student recalled the extreme pressures faced during their schooling years, which constrained their joy and made them feel trapped in an unending cycle of studying.
Furthermore, the traditional and collective understanding of the importance of studying and success makes it difficult for Chinese families and individuals to deviate from academic pursuits, causing societal and psychological strain.
In conclusion, the increasing rate of suicides in China suggests a deeper crisis within society, influenced by economic uncertainties, academic pressures, and social deterioration. The Chinese approach to education, emphasizing success and material wealth, has led to heightened stress levels, particularly among young individuals. It is essential for families and policymakers to address these underlying issues, promoting a balance between academic success and mental well-being for a holistically healthy society.