The Influences of Reforms of Higher Education in China on Education Equality

Abstract

Thanks to the rapid development of a knowledge-based economy, people rely more and more on higher education. Thus, they pay more attention to the equality of higher education. This essay discusses the influences of three significant higher education reforms, including reforms during the Cultural Revolution, resumption, expansion, and reforms of the National College Entrance Examination on education equality. Unlike traditional opinions that reforms during the Cultural Revolution were a disaster to higher education, the research finds that reforms during the Cultural Revolution helped reduce education inequality among social classes and narrow the gap in education resources between urban areas and rural areas. During the commencement of the National College Entrance Examination, students face a challenging and limited opportunity to pursue higher education. It increases education inequality across regions and ethnic groups and widens the gap of education resources and chances between rural migrants and local residents. The expansion and reforms of the National College Entrance Examination provide students more opportunities to acquire access to higher education and give students who need to improve at mandatory subjects but have talents in other fields a chance to enter universities without a high score in the National College Entrance Examination.