Netizens call for cancelling math exam in Gaokao

Officials from the Beijing Municipal Education Commission say they have received many emails and faxes from netizens calling for the cancellation of the math exam in the Gaokao or College Entrance Examinations, Beijing Youth Daily reports. According to an online survey by the Sina Weibo microblogging website, more than 120,000 netizens voted in favour of the cancellation of the math exam in Gaokao, making up 75 percent of all survey respondents. Many netizens also complained that the complicated theories they learned to pass the math exam are never used in their real lives, except for counting money. However, Chu Zhaohui, a researcher from the National Institute of Education Sciences, who participated in a discussion of the reform schemes for high school and college entrance examinations in Beijing, believes the math exam is still necessary for developing people's logical thinking abilities, as well as their mode of thinking. Some citizens also suggested that there should be less emphasis on physics and chemistry, while others called for more diversified ways of examination. However, officials from the municipal educational commission said tests with certain grades are fair in selective exams like high school and college entrance examinations. The proposals collected will be summarized to improve the reform scheme, and a formal scheme will come out within this year.