Yang Kangzhong (www.cnhubei.com): Actually, Lingling's father has the right to deny his daughter a college education. Four years of further schooling might incur costs of at least 80,000 yuan ($12,698), plus the possibility of subsequent unemployment. Even if a job can be secured, nowadays, the average monthly wage for a college graduate is about 2,000 yuan ($317) to 3,000 yuan ($476), which is the same as their middle school equivalents.

It is important to point out that the root cause for low graduate employment lies in overall academic and experience capacity, and not in a surplus of skilled teachers. Some college students expect to make a lot of money from the day they graduate, while lacking the necessary work experience to obtain the jobs or positions of their dreams.

College education remains useful in today's China. Obviously, in many cases, higher education matches increased salaries, even though we can't expect all knowledge to be transferred into money. However, a knowledgeable person does tend to have better access to good jobs and to opportunities for further development.

With subjects such as science and technology being primary productive forces, if no one attends school or college, future societies will suffer.

If college graduates hope to lift themselves out of their current predicament, self-reliance is key. With a clear gap existing between college education and the work environment, involving oneself in community activities and company internships etc. can be of vital importance in making studies a worthwhile pursuit.

Tian Fang (Changjiang Times): For rural students, the concept of "knowledge changing fate" is becoming more and more of an illusion by the day.

While college education remains popular across China, most graduates from rural areas can only find common jobs in cities, inhibiting their ability to sufficiently provide for their families. In certain cases, parents are even solicited for additional funds to help set up homes and have children. Comparatively, avoiding studies and quitting middle school seem more worthwhile. What exactly has led to such a gloomy picture?

College education is undeniably useful. Superficially, studying remains key to finding work. However, attending college also builds character and expands the intellect, thus making it easier for authorities to govern the country.

However, extreme inequality exists pertaining to seemingly fair college entrance examinations. Education resources are quite unevenly distributed in rural and urban areas. Even if you can pass an examination, you might still face unemployment upon graduation. This is why more and more people choose to avoid college.

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