Chinese parents pressure kids to study abroad

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

Beijing, Nov.21 --Xiao Wang went to study in the United Kingdom after graduating from college in the summer of 2011 just for his parents' sake.

"Actually, I do not want to study abroad, but my parents want me to. They will be sad and disappointed if I do not go," Wang said. In the eyes of his parents, a foreign university degree is extremely important.

Many Chinese children have been "forced" to study abroad at a young age. Many parents attended the China Education Expo 2011, which toured seven cities including Beijing, Qingdao and Xi'an last month, to acquire information about foreign education without even asking the opinion of their children.

Bai Zhangde, director of the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, said that parents should stop trying to out-do each other, and adopt a more rational attitude toward sending their young children to study abroad.

Experts on international education believe that parents should respect the opinion of their young children in terms of studying abroad. If parents force their children to go abroad without considering that they may be unwilling and unable to adapt to a foreign environment, many children may return home after only a short time abroad, which would be a total waste of money and time as well as learning opportunities.