With fierce competition here in China, summer has become a busy time for children who aim high. Students continue learning by attending summer schools with various programs that offer fun, but academically focused activities.
CCTV reporter Su Yuting visits an English summer school here in Beijing to take a closer look.
In the searing summer heat, students can still be found in the classrooms, armed with high hopes and steely resolve. They’ve come here to learn English.
For some children who missed a lot of school or are far behind their peers, a few weeks of intensive tutoring may give them a boost.
But for others, joining these summer classes are for more than just catching up, they’re for jumping ahead.
A student said, "I want to go to America to study in the future. So I want to learn more English and American history."
Another student said, "My mother wishes me can have good English, and I can go all round the world and travel to many other places."
There is an ever-growing demand for a high level of English language competency for students who want to communicate effectively. One expensive solution is sending children to English-speaking countries. An economical alternative to that is creating an English-speaking environment.
Ashley Hankins, English teacher, said, "I know a lot of my students here are going to the States or go to Western countries either for camps or to travel or for university. So they came here to our school to learn English and to learn from Western teachers. So they can go to the States and they can speak a lot more fluently and be able to get into the school as well."
Chinese students are hardly slackers. In addition to the hours of studying they do during the school year, they keep up the pace, learning and trying to get ahead in the summertime.
Many consider summer schools an opportunity to broaden children’s horizons, and help them get ahead academically. The ultimate goal is to secure a brighter future in a competitive and fast-changing world.