Excellence & Equity in Education: A Chinese Case

With the great impact of globalization, the issues of excellence and equity in education have been surfaced internationally. The various arguments have been existed about what equity means and how to achieve it are inextricably linked to notions of excellence. Given the debate in excellence and equity in education, this leaves room for discussion of how the issues of excellence and equity have been addressed. This article intends to address the issues of excellence and equity in education in a Chinese context. Starting with a brief introduction of classical examination system, Ke Ju a classical Chinese examination which was employed to select the government officials, the article suggests that the pursuit of excellence and equity in education has long been embedded in Chinese culture. It then analyzes factors that hinder the pursuit of excellence and equity in education in China and proposes strategies for addressing the issue. It is suggested that this process be followed by addressing education in China as a local response to local conditions in a global context. Finally, China’s education leadership must change in order to meet the needs of fostering a paradigm shift