WITH the increasing competitiveness of the National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) and the emergence of more diverse education options, some local students choose to pursue their university education abroad, without taking the NCEE.

This trend has already taken off in a number of key middle schools in Shenzhen. For example, at the Shenzhen Experimental School, students desiring to attend foreign schools either before or after graduation usually make preparations for study abroad early in the Senior One stage. Typically, around 10 out of 400 students per grade choose overseas study instead of taking the domestic college entrance examinations.

"Generally speaking, our school neither encourages nor opposes pursuing university education abroad, as it is entirely an individual decision," said Li Jian, head of the senior high school department of the Shenzhen Experimental School.

However, Li also said the school did not advocate going abroad before finishing senior high education, since such a change lacked a clear academic progression, and could result in important gaps in students' education.

Due to a comparatively more solid language foundation, the number of students at Shenzhen Foreign Languages School who choose to study abroad is even higher.

A graduate named Zhang Yu disclosed that in her class almost one-fourth of the total number of students went abroad, including before and after finishing senior high study. The majority went to Britain, followed by New Zealand and Australia. The rest went to Canada and the United States.

Most students planning to go abroad share the view that so-called quality education in China fails to live up to the objective of personal development. "I cannot develop my own interests at a domestic university, as some out-of-date courses consume too much energy and time," said Wen Xiaomin, a local Senior One student, who is planning to study in Australia.

Another big complaint among students is the heavy stress surrounding the NCEE, which many find unbearable. "Society, academia and families place too much importance on the NCEE. Everything we do now is targeted at the exams, so I am eager to get rid of this pressure and go abroad," said Wen.

According to Zhang Liang, a teacher at the Shenzhen College of International Education, more than 2,000 Shenzhen students went abroad to pursue university education each year.

As Li Jian observed, students who chose overseas study were of different ages, with different levels of academic ability.

Li said these students had three main options: The first option was to take overseas examinations such as the SAT (scholastic assessment test) in America or A-level tests in Britain - a method appropriate for excellent students with interest in a particular field. The second option was to rely on an overseas study placement agency, which targets students from affluent families with less academic ability. The third option was less common: to study abroad by first becoming an exchange student.

Editor: Wing