The Transition from Secondary from Education Case Studies to Higher Education: Asia and the Pacific Transition from The The Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education Case Studies from Asia and the Pacific Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building 920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong, Klongtoey Bangkok 10110, Thailand Email: [email protected] Website: www.unesco.org/bangkok Tel: +66-2-3910577 Fax: +66-2-3910866 The Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education: Case Studies from Asia and the Pacific Published in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France and UNESCO Bangkok Office © UNESCO 2015 ISBN: 978-92-9223-510-9 (Print version) ISBN: 978-92-9223-511-6 (Electronic version) This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use- ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Project co-ordinator: Libing Wang and Eunsun Lee Editor: Clive Wing Photo credits (cover): © UNESCO/S. Chaiyasook, © UNESCO/LC. Tan, © UNESCO Dhaka Office and © UNESCO/Islamabad Office Graphic designer: Prang Priyatruk Printed in Thailand TH/APEID/14/013-300 ii Foreword There has been a historic level of public demand for higher education in the Asia-Pacific region in recent decades. This is a result of many factors, including the rapid expansion of basic level of education, the need to respond to the challenges of economic development, globalization, as well as the proliferation of information and communication technology. Consequently, higher education systems have grown substantially in most parts of the Asia-Pacific region. The increasing number of secondary school graduates seeking places in higher education institutions has created a challenge for the screening and selection processes. Policy-makers and the public alike would like to ensure an effective and smooth transition from secondary to higher education for the students, while maintaining the quality and equity of their education. Therefore, appropriate policies for university and college admissions are urgently needed by both developed and developing countries in the region. In response to this need, members of the Education Research Institutes Network (ERI-Net), a regional network initiated by UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in 2009, conducted a research study on the Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education in 2013, with support from the Korea Funds-in-Trust. An expert meeting was held on 7–8 March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, to take stock of existing admission policies and practices in the region, and to develop a common research framework for the preparation of the country/system case studies. We were delighted to have the participation of researchers from Australia, China, Hong Kong SAR (China), India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea in the meeting. Their research findings were subsequently shared at the 2013 ERI-Net Annual Meeting held on 17–19 October 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. This publication is a collection of these country/system case studies, together with a synthesis report that provides an overview of the university and college admission policies, and their impact on the provision of secondary education in the region. Needless to say, the discussions in the reports touched on many critical issues including the testing and assessment systems, with implications for high stakes college entrance examinations as well as shadow education. I believe that by building on the collective knowledge of researchers from different countries in the region, this publication has provided in-depth insights to assist policy-makers, higher education planners, researchers and practitioners in reviewing and reforming their own systems accordingly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the researchers engaged in this study for their continuous commitment and support to the ERI-Net research activities. I am sure as intellectual sources of UNESCO Bangkok’s analytical work, ERI-Net research activities will continue to bring forward-looking, innovative and inspiring visions and solutions for key policy issues faced by UNESCO Member States in the region. Gwang-Jo Kim Director, UNESCO Bangkok iii Contents Foreword iii List of Abbreviations vi Synthesis Report of the Case Studies on the Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education 1 Australian University Admission Policies and Their Impact on Schools 5 Introduction. 5 University Admission Policies. 5 Implications for Schools . 9 Conclusions . .13 Towards Diversification and Flexibility: The Changing of National College Entrance Examination and Its Impact on the Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education in China 17 The Reform of College Admission . .17 The Current College Admission Systems . .21 Impact of Admission Mechanisms . .26 Ways Forward. .31 University and College Admission Policies and Practices in Hong Kong SAR, China: Opportunities and Challenges in Moving from Secondary Education to Tertiary Education 33 Introduction. .33 Secondary Education: Creating Balances or Galvanizing Streamlined Races? . 35 Discussion. .44 The Transition to Higher Education in India 47 Introduction. .47 Trends in Access and Participation in Education in India . .50 The Transition to Post-Secondary Education. .53 Selection in and Admission to Higher Education . .56 Reservation in Higher Education: A Policy to Promote Equity in Higher Education . 62 Conclusions . .64 The Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education in Japan 67 Introduction. .67 Historical Development of University Admissions . 69 Historical Development of the University Admission System . .70 Diversified Screening Methods . 74 Challenges and Policy Responses . 75 Conclusions and Future Vision . 77 The Connection Between High Schools and Colleges in the Republic of Korea 81 Introduction. .81 Historical Overview of the College Admission System . .81 Characteristics of the Current College Admission System . .83 Adopting the Admission Officer System . .84 Changes in 2014 CSAT (introduced in January 2011) . 84 Diversification of College Admission Tracks . .86 Perceptions Toward the Recent College Admission System . 86 iv The Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education: Malaysia 91 National Admission Policies . .91 Pathway into Higher Education . .94 Impact of the Selection Mechanism . .99 Conclusions and Recommendations . 105 The Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education: Philippines 109 Introduction . 109 Philippine Universities . 111 Policies on the Transition from Secondary Education to Higher Education. .112 The Current University Admission System. .114 Identity-Verification Documents . .121 The Impact of Tertiary Admission Policies on Secondary Education and Society . 126 Ways Forward. .128 Annex: A . 130 v List of Abbreviations AICTE All India Council for Technical Education AIEEE All India Engineering Entrance Examination AIPMT All India Pre-Medical Test ATAR Australian Tertiary Admission Rank BE Bachelor of Engineering BDS Bachelor of Dental Sciences BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa B Tech Bachelor of Technology BTER Board of Technical Education CAT Common Admission Test CBS Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences Mumbai CBSE Central Board of Secondary Education CEM Center for Educational Measurement CGS Commonwealth Grants Scheme CHED Commission on Higher Education CISCE Council for Indian School Certificate Examination CLAT Common Law Admission Test CMAT Common Management Admission Test DepEd Department of Education DOLE Department of Labor and Employment DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development EAMCET Engineering Agricultural and Medical Common Entrance Test EFA Education for All ERI-Net Education Research Institutes’ Network of UNESCO FICCI Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry FMS Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University GATE Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering GCE General Certificate of Education Go8 Group of Eight GWA General Weighted Average HEIs Higher Education Institutions ICT Information and Communication Technology IT Information Technology IIT Indian Institute of Technology IIT-BHU Banaras Hindu University IIT-JEE Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination IIIT Indian Institute of Information Technology IIM Indian Institute of Management IISc Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore ISEET Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test ISM Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad JEE Joint Entrance Examination JMET Joint Management Entrance Test JNU Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi KEAM Kerala Engineering Agricultural Medical K to 12 Kindergarten to Grade 12 vi LGU Local Government Unit LOTE Languages Other Than English MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery MCI Medical Council