The fact that test scores are used as the only criteria to measure a students' quality is not in the interest of Chinese students in the long run. Making the exam results a private matter is undoubtedly a progress and it is this kind of reform and innovation in the current system that will improve the quality of education.

Zheng Jian (Shangqiu Daily): China's current education focuses on college entrance scores and middle schools are competing against each other for prestige. At the same time, students, parents and teachers are all becoming very sensitive to these results. The pressure placed on students to succeed is enormous and those who do not do well end up with their confidence in tatters.

Although China's higher education has made great headway, many middle school graduates can still not enter colleges. In the face of this reality, middle schools should encourage students to work hard in other areas. To reduce the hype surrounding this exam will help relieve students' psychological pressure and also show respect for students, parents and teachers.

Fairness outweighs privacy

Sheng Dalin (www.ifeng.com): For something to be called private, it must be about only one person. If it also has a bearing on others, then we cannot call it private. In the case of gaokao, students' scores cannot be seen as private information as millions of students are involved in this public activity. Generally speaking, only a few students would like to keep the results of this exam secret. Since the students do not care about their results being made public, why should relevant education departments worry?

If the results are considered private, freshman recruitment will become a secret process. This will undoubtedly damage the fairness and transparency of this examination.

As far as gaokao is concerned, currently, the biggest problem is not that too much information is exposed to the public, but to the contrary, too little is disclosed. In my opinion, not only the scores should be announced to the public, but also the assessed test papers. Although this openness will unavoidably bring about some problems, compared with the threat and harm of under-the-counter deals, it is the better option.

Xu Linlin (www.dahe.cn): When Shandong's education authorities decided to make gaokao results private, they do mean to protect the students' dignity.

However, we have to admit that currently, the gaokao remains the most fair and equal way to select talented individuals. Now, if the results are to be made private, several consequences are expected. With the interference of money and power, under-the-counter deals are likely to take place in the process of recruiting freshmen. The hidden results will encourage some students, especially those who have failed the exam, to doubt the fairness of the university recruiting process.

I believe, given the current state of China's education, it's improper to make private these scores. Reform in this regard must be conducted gradually and slowly. If not done carefully, fairness of the whole education system and even the whole society could be affected.

Gao Lixue (Chongqing Times): Fairness depends on institutionalized openness. Shandong's initiative partly gives up openness. In this situation, people will tend to suspect fraud in the process of freshman recruitment, something that could even escalate to social conflict.

To make the exam results a private matter is actually exaggerating students' privacy. During the period of compulsory education, it's necessary to keep exam results unknown to the students and parents with a view to relieving the heavy psychological pressure on them. Nevertheless, once the gaokao is finished, students actually enter society and become adults. In this sense, the exam results are by no means private. If the results are taken as private, education departments are actually trying to protect adults with the Law on the Protection of Minors. It's ridiculous!

The gaokao is not just an exam, but also an important part of the education system. The reform of this system is an ongoing project, and thus any innovation introduced into this system must be based on the overall education reform and be kept step with current social development.

Peng Mengning (Changjiang Times): No matter how many efforts are made to keep the exam results secret, middle schools and parents can always find ways to get the information. Therefore, to label the results as private will not work.

In my view, it's better to spend more time strengthening supervision over the college entrance examination and improving the recruitment system than protecting the so-called privacy of students.

Dear Readers, "Forum" is a column that provides a space for varying perspectives on contemporary Chinese society. In each issue, "Forum" will announce the topic for an upcoming issue. We invite you to submit personal viewpoints (in either English or Chinese). Upcoming Topic: Can excessive charges on plastic bag use effectively wipe out this environment-unfriendly packaging? E-mail us at byao@cipg.org.cn Please provide your name, telephone number, zip code and address along with your comments. Editor: Yao Bin