In Asia, Cram Schools Are a Ticket to Success... And Stress - That's So Asian

Taipei, a bustling Asian metropolis. When the sun sets and the city winds down, the children of Taipei can be found here. What? This is what a typical Friday night looks like in the life of Chen and Shen. Week after week, tens of thousands of students just like them go from after-school straight to cram school. What is it all for? Taiwan's school system is basically a survival game. You take a standardized test to place into middle school, then another test for high school placement. If you don't do well on these two tests, you're out. Test prep courses, shouting motivational slogans, and endless practice tests. Students must do whatever it takes to survive. And this isn't just a Taiwan thing. Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea all have similar educational systems. Among the largest cities in East Asia, an average of six out of every 10 students attend cram schools. And it's not for nothing. In a 2018 PISA test, the top three countries in every subject were East Asian countries. And every single one of the top 10 students in the 2021 International Informatic Olympiad were all of Asian descent. Oh, wait, no. The guy from the United States is also Asian. Nevermind. They're all Asian, basically. Okay, yeah. Seems right. Yeah. Obviously. So expected. If you look at only test scores, the East Asian educational system is a huge success. But it all comes at a great cost. A literally great cost. Plus, it's not for everyone. No. I'm sorry, no. Because I was so, so devastated after that. I came home and I'm like, no, I don't want to live home anymore. So, if cram schools are so expensive and not always effective, why do so many East Asian countries still swear by them? And does being good at tests really mean you'll be good at life? How does cram school culture affect society as a whole? Question one. Does being good at tests really mean you'll be good at life? The answer is, absolutely. At least in ancient China, where testing reigns supreme. Here's a little story. This is Sun Jing. And this is Su Qing. They like to study. But studying makes them tired. So they did what typical people do. They took a nap. Then suddenly they realized they didn't want to be typical people. So Sun Jing took a rope, tied his hair to a pillar. That way he could study without falling asleep. Su Qing, on his end, took a sharp awl and stabbed himself every time he felt sleepy. Then he could study harder and longer. In the end, both these men became important officials in history. And their stories were combined and memorialized in the Chinese language as an idiom. I used to teach Chinese in the past. I tried my best not to be lazy. The idiom 玄梁刺骨 is still widely used to this day, which shows how being hardcore in your studies is fully ingrained in Chinese culture. Even the emperor in those days had to show his respect towards scholars. In a traditional society, we emphasize hard work and hard study. And there was one test that ensured the Chinese love for studying would last thousands of years. The imperial examinations. The imperial examinations were a series of tests to select candidates for government positions. A student in the early 1600s would have to first pass a series of examinations to become a holder of a basic degree, or 受才. That's when the real testing would begin. The 受才 would then have to pass the provincial exam and then the metropolitan exam. You fail, you lose. According to Qing Dynasty records, out of 10 million people, only five successfully went from 受才 all the way to passing the metropolitan exam. You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning. Many people went well into their 40s and 50s still trying to pass the first apprentice exam. But for those top gunners who made it to the end, the final palace exam was administered by the emperor himself. These lucky few received a new wardrobe, financial security, and honor for their family. All you needed was to get right with this test. Ancient Chinese people studied hard in hopes of a better life. And since Chinese culture had a huge influence on surrounding areas, studiousness became a core value in the countries we know today as East Asia. 2,000 years later, people in East Asia still fervently believe in the importance of studying. But can such values really pass down through the millennia? This is what happened. But we later found out that it's not that simple. There are not many cases where children in the family are able to prepare for the imperial exam for a long time. If we want to think about why the influence of studiousness in today's society is so great, we have to think about the fact that our society is becoming more modern. After the Second World War, several East Asian economies experienced rapid growth. Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore were known as the Four Asian Tigers. And many well-known global brands from this region were formed during this period. In this post-war reconstruction period, the Four Asian Tigers dazzled the international community. And this is largely attributed to the East Asian emphasis on education. But good education wasn't enough. These countries needed a way to sift through the masses to find the leaders among them. So, if you knew there were only a few spots in the winner's circle, getting one means you're set for life. Power, money, opportunities. What would you do? You'd fight for it. And fight hard. The game is on. And the best training grounds for these little gladiators? Cram schools. Want to do well on the exams that will pretty much determine the rest of your life? Come cram with us. 2,000 years of examination culture coupled with the modern need for competitiveness. Welcome to the age of Asian cram schools and credentialism. In Taiwan, you can find a convenience store on almost every block. But the reality is, there are even more cram schools than convenience stores. Meet Zhen Hao and Zhou Jie. They've been teaching at cram schools for... They're two of the most famous cram school teachers in Taiwan. Parents know the power of having good credentials. And now they want their kids to understand too. They also want them to hear their wishes. So they bring various offerings, as well as their child's exam admission ticket, and they pray for the best results. Because when so much is at stake, luck plays an important role too. They're mostly afraid that their kids won't be able to get married or buy a house or a car They're afraid of these things. They put in so much effort and resources just to give their kids such a good opportunity. It's a very tough process. They're very rational. Everything was building to this, the big moment. The two schools' joint exam. Known by different names in different countries, but its purpose and pressure are the same. University, entrance, exam. In South Korea, students study for an average of 11 hours a day. Some parents even set up a study cube for their kids. And in rapidly developing China and India, where competition is intense, entire towns have cropped up that are dedicated to cramming. You literally move into one giant cram school. Talk about immersion. People care about credit so much because if you don't have a particular credit, the top-notch companies, the top universities, they all have a cutoff. In all these different places, the goal is the same. Most people, well, at least most parents, believe that good credentials are the golden ticket to a good life. But what do kids sacrifice to get that golden ticket? I would show my mom a grade. I'd be like, yo, mom, I got 100 on this quiz. My mom would be like, 100 points, you deserve it. It was just like, you know, in English, it's like you should be getting 100%. And I never understood that. And sometimes, the pressure can even be physical. Studies show that 80% to 90% of East Asian students have myopia, which might directly relate to the amount of time they spend studying indoors. The discontent of the youth grows just like myopia. And credentialism created generations of myopia students. But is this focus on academics just an Asian thing? I think in Russia, students who take school very seriously do go to cram school or do have private tutors. But it's not as popular as here in Taiwan, where at least half of the students will go. Actually, it is. One study shows that more than 50% of Russian students pay for cram schools or tutoring. If you include free government resources, Russia actually has the world's highest rate of cram schools and tutoring, more than South Korea. Over half the countries included in the study had rates of cram school and tutoring of 50% or more. And this included countries we don't usually associate with high academic achievement. Although this can mean different things in different places. Most seem to agree that having a good degree is crucial to success, including this guy. Former US President Trump is very proud of his credentials and he wants to make sure everyone knows about it. I'm highly educated. I went to the Wharton School of Finance. I was a very fine student. He even found a way to weaponize credentialism. Mr. President, did you use the word smart? You graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don't ever use the word smart with me. Don't ever use that word. You might be thinking that guy is a bit of an exception. But one look at politicians in American and European countries and you'll see that credentials do matter. The UK government has often been criticized for drawing its cabinet members from the same few private schools. And it's not just about power. How much money you earn seems directly correlated with your credentials. Take that Ivy League that Trump loves to talk about. Graduates of Ivy League schools in America have a one in five chance of becoming the top 1% in wealth, which touches on another issue. To even have a chance to go to those schools, you kind of have to be somebody. Two out of three Ivy League students come from families in the top 20% of income in America, whether it's academics, art or sports, these families come prepared. I was at a dance studio and I saw this like six-year-old kid like doing this one thing, movement over and over again. And then in the waiting room is his mom on the phone. And it looks just like the mom waiting to pick their child up from piano lessons. It's like the same image. Renowned American philosopher, Michael Sandel has written on the problems of credentialism. He believes that going to a good school basically makes you a winner. You get the best teachers, mingle with other winners and come out extremely confident. If you didn't make it into a good school, you're either not intelligent or not hardworking enough. But what if the game is rigged from the start? People talk about education a lot, like it's a magic word. Education, education and education. People believe in its power. If you don't have a well-educated workforce, you're gonna be left behind. If you don't have a good education, then it is gonna be hard to pay as a living wage. In most countries, the rules of the game have become oversimplified and getting into a good university is the only result that counts. Instead of making the world more equal and efficient, education has become a glorified measuring stick. Go to the right school and you're a winner for life. Everyone else, better luck next time. There should be some kind of filtering for getting into something, but pressuring into the credits that you have to reach this, you have to get it, then only you'll be good. I don't support that. The biggest problem is that our imagination is very, very narrow. Because everyone's values are exactly the same. And we have to erase all the differences. When everyone in a society has to think about this, that's the disaster of this society. Back in East Asia, the hometown of hard studying, countries are actually trying to change. South Korea rolled out its National Online Education System, EBS, which gives students who can't afford cram school an opportunity to beef up their studies. Taiwan has also seen a wave of startups in the education industry. The number of experimental education companies went from zero to 250 in just seven years. Many East Asian countries have been pushing education reform in recent years. They hope new curriculums will foster more diverse and self-motivated students. Of course, these reforms won't change things overnight, but at least people are aware of the problem. In the future, the biggest challenge is that there will be a lot of new changes in the world, and a new industrial boom. They will encounter a lot of problems that have never happened in the past. They can only rely on themselves to find solutions and change them so that they have the confidence and confidence to face a problem that is unfamiliar and has never been solved, and have the confidence to solve it. I think this is the biggest challenge for our education. As for the cram schools, although they may seem a bit extreme, it's not all dungeons and whips. You might be surprised to hear that some students actually like it. I think it's good that I like the place of the cram school. The main reason I came to the cram school is that I can study. I have the desire to study. I think the teachers here are fun. They have a lively style. I personally put up the list for the students. This is the happiest thing for me. In some ways, these students are lucky to be sitting in a classroom. They come from different backgrounds, families, and schools. But at least they all have a chance to get ahead here. I am often asked similar questions. Do I want my children to go to cram school? Do I want my children to go to a cram school? Do I want my children to do this and that? But I often think it's interesting to ask these questions first. Because if I want my children to do something, I will let them do something. The leadership is entirely up to me. But I think these questions are for us to let our children or help our children to make their own judgments, choices, and understanding. We've talked a lot about cram school, academics, and testing. Student life is hardcore. But maybe it's time we asked the main characters of our story what they think. Being bored is kind of important. Right? Yeah, I think that's a good quote. Being bored is kind of important because if I wasn't... If I didn't have the free time being bored with my friends, then we wouldn't try to, like, learn something. There's like this rap show in Taiwan, you know, the... What's it called? MTV The Rappers. Dashi has to die. I want to get on that show. I think it'd be fun to be on that show. My favorite subject was Japanese and Chinese. I learned that by myself, and I found what I liked and I liked it. I love dancing. So they never told me that I can't do that. Because they gave me equal opportunities to do that and the studies, I understood, okay, it's not that I want to pursue in my mainstream. I want to study science because that is something always made me question, okay, question things. I want to contribute to technology, so that's basically my goal. And I'm willing to do anything for that. I spend a lot of time studying or solving problems Mathematics is my passion. The education system is an ever-changing experiment. We try to set reasonable goals and give students a good direction in life. But these goals and expectations must change with the changing times. Maybe someday, even no goal can be a good goal to work toward. Because cram school culture is not just something that's so Asian. It's something all future generations will need to think about.