The Meaning of Education Education means the transmission of knowledge, while learning and education are two different things. I believe learning is based on personal curiosity or used to solve problems, and it is an active behavior. However, in reality, education is not entirely for the individual, but for the collective. Since the Second Industrial Revolution, Britain and European countries began to implement education for citizens, generally regarded as the prototype of modern universal education. Its main purpose was to provide qualified workers for rapidly industrializing nations. At the same time, the system of public examinations became an important means for the state to select talent. Unlike in feudal times, when only a small number of nobles received systematic education and talent selection was mostly through private recommendation, modern public examinations standardized the process.
The Origins of Public Examinations The earliest public examination system originated in China, known as the imperial examination. Beginning in the Han dynasty, further developed in the Sui and Tang, flourishing in the Ming dynasty, and lasting until the late Qing dynasty, when it was abolished in 1905. By the beginning of the Republic of China, the system had already ended. Modern public examinations in most countries are similar: fixed scope, divided subjects, standard answers, and results that have a major impact on a candidate’s future life. Admission to university depends entirely on examination scores.
Educational Disorders As civilization has developed, the main complaints about education are heavy student pressure, too many exams, too much homework, and the idea that one exam determines a lifetime. Yet I argue that if public examinations functioned as designed, they would have no inherent problem—they are indeed the fairest selection mechanism. The reality, however, is that education is not an isolated system but interlinked with society.
When education becomes a tool to aid the lower classes, numerous disorders emerge. In East Asia, the hardest-hit region, the disorders include countless cram schools, excessive homework, endless exams, remedial lessons, and memory-based testing. Students must practice large numbers of past papers for every subject, often provided by schools. Entering cram schools means even more complete sets of past papers, targeting every question type, with techniques for scoring and time management. In recent years, diversified admission standards have added further stress to the middle class, who must cultivate their children’s “interests”—most commonly piano, violin, or painting. Here, examinations become a craft, a skill that determines one’s entire future.
In the West, disorders are fewer but still significant. The main issues are the devaluation of degrees and racial quotas. University enrollment rates have risen to 40% or more. When large numbers of people become university students but society cannot provide corresponding positions, degrees lose their value. Almost every university has quotas based on race, preventing more capable individuals from entering.
The Core Problem All these disorders stem from one issue: education has become a tool to rationalize resource distribution. As social resources decrease, individuals must strengthen their competitiveness to secure more of what they believe they deserve. This is seen as the most reliable and fair way to change one’s destiny, reinforced by propaganda. I believe the more educational disorders a country has, the more thoroughly its potential is consumed. This is tied to population issues: educational disorders arise from overpopulation, which in turn reduces population until it matches the level of economic development. This cycle affects not only population but also development potential, as irregular methods within the cycle become the true culprits of wasted potential.
Proposals for Educational Reform Modern education does not require a good teacher merely to help students enter university. I believe reform should achieve three points:
Abolish the quota system and return to equal opportunity.
Prohibit the practice of past papers and all exam-oriented techniques.
Set fewer checkpoints but increase difficulty.
Closing with Nietzsche What is the task of higher education? To make a man into a machine. What are the means employed? He is taught how to suffer being bored.