Overeducation in China

Had an interesting discussion yesterday with a professor who had an interesting perspective about higher education in China these days. Of course, education and advancement are high priorities in Chinese culture, but he wonders if this is not pushing too many students too far - everyone wants to go to the best universities, but many (most?) are not well suited to the rigors of such schools.

Further, no one wants their kids to take blue-collar or mid-level jobs, but of course hundreds of millions will take those jobs; this cannot be good for their psyche, as they are rejected from (or fail out of) good schools. Further, they see the newly rich all around them, forcing them to not be satisfied with their lot in life; this can both stimulate and depress them. There is also not a strong community college system, as unlike in the U.S., no one wants to go there, given they are a step (or two) down.

This is also partly due to the Japanese / English-style national tests, which force kids to cram and if they fail to get good scores to wait another year - these are far, far more high-pressure and deterministic than American SATs. I strongly dislike these tests, instead preferring the American system of many different tests and admission criteria for many types of schools, providing many different and individualistic opportunities for young people.