It insisted the drop in the number of candidates was because "there were fewer people of this age group," not because of the slim job market. But college graduates are apparently having a hard time finding jobs this year, with 6.11 million new graduates this year and 1 million from last year still unemployed, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

The education ministry said 7.5 million of this year's middle school graduates will be sitting for the matriculation. It didn't say, however, why the remaining 840,000 graduates quit.

The brain drain and the widening social gap behind it are apparent to the insiders -- students and parents in particular, who have repeatedly called for reforms.

Though many people still believe the college admission test is the only Chinese testing system that brooks no fraud or power abuse, a string of scandals about cheating, leaking exam papers or even buying into universities have revealed a credibility crisis.

In a recently exposed scandal, a police officer in central China's Hunan Province was found to have stolen another girl's exam results and passed it off as his daughter's to secure her a place in college five years ago.

Meanwhile, an honor roll of candidates who will be rewarded 20 points each for taking part in local aeromodelling or radio communication contests in the eastern Zhejiang Province also sparked an outcry for more fairness, as all the 13 students on the golden list were from rich and powerful families.

REFORM, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

Since it was resumed in 1977 after the 10-year Cultural Revolution, the national college admission test, or "gao kao", has always been a fierce competition because slots are forever limited given the country's huge population.

In 1977, 5.7 million candidates competed for just 270,000 places.

Even though candidates enjoy more opportunities these days, the competition remains tough because nearly all the candidates have higher expectations: for a best possible university and an ideal discipline that secures good jobs.

Stories of stressed-out students walking out or committing suicide still appear in Chinese newspapers. Parents meticulously prepare the best dishes and avoid saying anything that might harm the students' tender feelings.

On exam days, all of society seems to mobilize to make sure every student gets to try their best. Inevitably, some stressed-out students forget their ID cards and a mad rush back home is organized and often accompanied by a police escort.

Ambulances patrol exam centers to care for students who become overwhelmed by the stress or heat and pass out -- this year in particular with the looming worry of A/H1N1 flu. Construction sites are told to stop working between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. to ensure students get a good night's sleep, and drivers face fines for blowing horns near the exam centers.

For most children, the struggle for higher education is long and hard. The competition starts at primary school or even kindergarten, with a series of qualification tests led by maths Olympics and Cambridge English. Under the current testing system, these qualifications can gain extra points for students to enter better secondary schools and ultimately, top universities.

Outcries for reforms are constantly heard, but it's hard to find a better testing system to ensure fairness and relieve the students' stress at the same time.

"An ideal alternative would be for candidates to take several assessment tests in their last year at secondary school, and the best result should prevail," said Xiong Bingqi, a renowned expert on education. "Universities would recruit students on the basis of this result as well as an overall evaluation of the students' performances."

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2009)