Although they'd been schooled, these elites, experts, scholars, weren't like those teenage writers who were instantly KO'd. Even if they knew that, just from a writing standpoint, they probably weren't a match for Qiushui, they still didn't go down without a fight. That one line, so rich in philosophical depth, had left them with no rebuttal. But after all, they'd been immersed in academia for years; even if bested in one area, they could still find other ways to respond.
Take, for example, Qiushui's essay on Exam-Oriented Education.
From "Among three people, one can be my teacher," to "My life has its limits," and even "High scores, low ability", the entire piece was structured around the idea of Exam-Oriented Education.
And these experts? They were precisely the authorities in that field, the defenders of the system.
Someone had criticized the examination system. Of course, they weren't going to stay silent.
And there were many ways to push back.
Yes, Exam-Oriented Education was exam-focused, but it wasn't as bad as people made it out to be.
First of all, in a country like Huaguo, with a population of 1.4 billion, it provided the most rational educational model. Urban or rural, the system was the same. There was no situation where more developed areas had superior models and less developed ones were falling further behind. Flawed as it may be, the system was fair.
A top teacher from Huangshi High, Qiu Enze, published an opinion piece in Youth Daily.
Educational expert Shen Danyang also responded, carefully avoiding that philosophical bombshell, "My life has its limits", and chose instead to rebut the idea of exam-oriented education directly. In his article, he stressed: "The high school and college entrance exams are currently the most effective method of selecting students with different levels of knowledge for higher education in China. Every year, countless students sit for these exams. The pressure is intense, not only for students but also for society as a whole. Abandoning this system would open the door to corruption and backroom deals. A more comprehensive evaluation of students would be too time-consuming and labor-intensive. The benefit of the current system is that no matter how many candidates there are, the exam difficulty can be adjusted to screen for those worth admitting. This process requires minimal expert involvement and has a low cost."
Shen Danyang was a staunch defender of the exam system. Though he acknowledged its flaws, he believed it was still the most suitable model for today's Huaguo. He also understood other systems. For years, some experts had called for reform, abandoning the one-exam-determines-your-fate system in favor of more holistic assessments. But while appealing in theory, those models were nearly impossible to implement. Not enough manpower, and beyond exams, every other evaluation method felt fake and prone to cheating.
Scholar Li Huaisu also commented on the claim, "Teachers teach what the test tests." While this model may seem overly utilitarian, learning for the sake of exams, it wasn't without merit. Exams typically covered foundational knowledge and advanced applications of that knowledge.
True learning requires a wide base of fundamentals. Without them, you can't achieve anything great. Physicist Qian Nan once said: "I have no natural talent in physics. Everything I've accomplished is thanks to a solid foundation in basic knowledge." And teaching to the test? That foundation is what the exams actually assess. So Exam-Oriented Education isn't some monstrous beast; it's a system born of Huaguo's current reality.
Other educators weighed in as well, noting that China wasn't the only country with exam systems. South Korea, Japan, and even parts of Europe adopted similar models. Only highly developed nations like the United States could afford more comprehensive talent development methods. Those methods required strong financial backing; without it, you couldn't possibly support a more holistic system.
Youth Daily had always held considerable sway in educational circles, and Qiushui's essay 'Exam-Oriented Education' quickly became the focus of national attention. Alongside the shock it stirred came a wave of responses and counterarguments.
The latest issue of Youth Daily ditched the underpowered teenage writers and put gold-medal teachers, education experts, and scholars front and center, right on the front page.
In a flash, Youth Daily's new series on "Education Model Debates" became the hottest topic in the news.
Mainstream papers followed suit, 'Southern Evening News' published an in-depth report on the debate.
'Youth Times' turned Qiushui's article and the expert rebuttals into a full-on debate feature, showcasing both sides.
Even Huaguo National Education TV joined in. Over the weekend, its education program invited experts to break down the national education model on air.
In short, most of the responses, while acknowledging Qiushui's words to some extent, ultimately concluded that Exam-Oriented Education's benefits outweighed its flaws.
...
"Mr. Fanchen, thank you for writing for us over the past few issues. Lately, Youth Daily's been selling really well and getting great publicity. Across the board, people are praising our education model debate for its academic value. Also, we've decided to raise your rate to 1,000 yuan per 1,000 characters. By the way, we're planning to launch a new theme focused on youth literature. Do you happen to have any work in that genre?"
"Youth literature?"
Upon receiving Sun Zaian's message, Huang Yifan looked puzzled. "Chief Editor Sun, does that mean the previous topic is finished?"
"You mean the Exam-Oriented Education series?"
"Yeah. Isn't it still ongoing?"
"Do you really want to keep responding? Mr. Fanchen, I don't think there's a need to continue."
Though Sun Zaian had great respect for Fanchen's talent, after a few back-and-forth exchanges, he felt the topic had run its course. The latest issue featured perspectives from top teachers, education experts, and respected scholars. Newspapers and TV stations had joined the conversation. As far as Sun was concerned, the matter had been well-explained. What more was there to say?
"Oh, there's more."
Huang Yifan nodded.
He had read every one of those expert rebuttals.
And yes, true to their titles, those experts had responded with airtight arguments.
In fact, there wasn't much he could directly refute.
Exam-Oriented Education had many problems, but given Huaguo's current situation, there weren't many alternatives.
Even in his previous life, so-called "quality education" had been pushed for years, and nothing had come of it. If it didn't work then, Huang Yifan had no reason to push it now. If mishandled, it could just lead this world down the same dead-end road.
Still, he couldn't accept ending the debate here.
He hadn't even finished what he wanted to say.
Ending it like this? Wouldn't that mean admitting defeat?
He was supposed to be leveling up his pen name in Youth Daily. How could he get KO'd before he'd even advanced?
That just wouldn't do.
"Chief Editor Sun, give me a moment. I'll write another article."
He closed the chat window and opened a new document.
The keyboard began to clack softly.
And a line appeared on the screen: "The The Way of the Great Learning lies in making virtue shine bright."
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