China to revoke privileges for students with special talents in sports, arts: Reports

Beijing [China], September 30 : The top education body of China has proposed a higher admissions standard for high school students with special talents in the fields of sports and arts, suggesting there would be no more "shortcuts" to get into colleges with lower academic grades, a media report said.
Announcing the revised regulations, China's Education Ministry published two documents on Friday. It indicated that students who are better at sports or with artistic flair need to pass both professional tests in their respective fields and the college entrance exam, or gaokao, Shanghai-based Sixth Tone media outlet reported.
Earlier, those students were entitled to get the bonus points that had set a lower academic requirement compared with their peers.
Terming the new regulations, part of a larger plan, the ministry said that it aims to "gradually reverse the tendency of emphasising professionalism and neglecting culture in the selection of art professionals in some colleges and universities."
The fresh regulation is set to be implemented from 2024 for special sports talent. They will have to score no lower than the required 80 per cent set by undergraduate facilities to be admitted according to the Sixth Tone.
Currently, for those students, 65 per cent opens the door to second-tier universities.
Referring to the fresh move the ministry called it a step to "gradually raise the benchmark of academic scores" for those students.
Expressing disappointment over the new regulations, some students online said that they were offended as their hard work was seen as a "shortcut" to get into university.
Arguing over the regulations, many athlete students said that balancing professional training and academic courses is difficult.
Former captain of the top varsity basketball team at Shanghai Normal University, Wang Tianyang, said that he didn't agree with the reformed policy.
"In order to get into the best sports teams in top universities, it's essential to spend the most time in physical training, therefore, time spent on academic work will inevitably get cut short," Sixth Tone quoted Wang as saying.
"But if athletes want to complete both training and schoolwork, they won't be able to get enough rest to maintain good health," he added.
Nearly 1.6 million candidates with special talents are expected to sit for the gaokao next year.