(LI SHIGONG)

The results from this year's college entrance examination (gaokao) are being revealed, and the top scorers of the exam, commonly called "zhuangyuan," are once again becoming the focus of attention in the media and society. In recent years, media hype over gaokao zhuangyuan is becoming increasingly dramatic, as champion students are awarded money by local education authorities or the colleges that recruit them. Although the Education Ministry forbids media publicity of zhuangyuan, the trend continues. The public holds that excessive media treatment over gaokao zhuangyuan will have a negative impact on their future. Thus, society should treat these students in a common way, since the college entrance exam is only the beginning of their accomplishments. The following are excerpts of some opinions:

Wang Xuming (www.xinhuanet.com): Despite Education Ministry's bans on the hype over gaokao zhuangyuan and local education departments' explicit policies not to reveal test scores to the public, we still see a ton of reports on TV, newspapers and the Internet. Some media even turn gaokao zhuangyuan news into headline stories.

As long as there is a college entrance examination, there will be top scorers, so some people believe they should receive publicity? I don't agree with it. The college entrance examination is only one test in students' life, and it only proves students' performance in that special area. All the hype boils down to a few relevant interests.

Some middle schools try their best to publicize zhuangyuan graduating from their schools, and this will make those schools famous and help them attract more excellent students in the future. As for the media, they want to take advantage of gaokao zhuangyuan to attract more attention and advertisers. The parents normally think it's a best opportunity to show off their excellent children. Local education departments even tend to take this as part of their achievements. As a result, many people are still interested in the zhuangyuan craze.

How to cool off the craziness for zhuangyuan? There are many things that must be done. The system of the test for the entrance of universities and colleges needs to be reformed. A variety of methods to measure students should be introduced. In addition, curbing the media frenzy cannot be done by the government alone. College entrance examinations are here to stay, and people can learn to hold a more rational attitude toward the exam.

Guo Lichang (Guangming Daily): In ancient China, students worked very hard to pass the imperial examination, because passing it meant they would be appointed officials and win fame and wealth. The winners in those days were always admired and respected. This way of thinking carries on among today's Chinese. Despite the Education Ministry's reservations, gaokao zhuangyuan are still the target of media hype, which colleges, middle schools and businesses all want to benefit from.

Gaokao zhuangyuan is one of the products of an exam-oriented education system. Excessive hype will in turn encourage the status quo. The college entrance examination is only one part in students' academic life, and it's by no means the final goal of their efforts. The success in the exam does not automatically predict a successful life. Zhuangyuan should not become complacent due to public praise.

Every year, prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale and Stanford will reject 90 percent of applicants, most of whom are top students. Some are even students who earn full marks in the SAT. When recruiting new students, besides the exam scores, many prestigious universities also take into consideration the applicants' abilities in other aspects such as leadership, foreign languages, part-time work and community services.

Nowadays, Chinese schools excessively emphasize exam scores. This would make students think that as long as you do well in exams, you'll have a bright future. This is actually hindering the transition from exam-oriented to essential-qualities-oriented education. To dilute people's interest in zhuangyuan, we need to set up more criteria for talent selection. When more attention is paid to people's actual ability instead of their performance in exams, essential-qualities-oriented education will be realized in the real sense. Students must know that the college entrance examination is only a small step in their life. The success in the exam will help them go further along the way, but many doors to success require their hard work.