China needs more input in education

Like many parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde took their kids to schools on the first day of the new semester in Belgium. The photos of them doing so I posted on my social media accounts in China attracted a lot of comments. Many of them said unselfish parental love and care for children is deeply rooted in their hearts of every parent; while some focused on the long history of the school St. John Berchmans College in Brussels, which several members of Belgium's royal family have attended and which can trace its history back to 1604.

For my part, I think that the royal couple was delivering a strong message that education is essential for the future success of every Belgian kid, and family participation in their education is vital.

Belgium is among the best of the developed countries when it comes to education. It offers 12 years of compulsory education for its citizens, and financial aid for children from poor families can easily be obtained for higher education. With a lot of facilities and training centers, a lifelong learning network has been established.

Besides ample access to education opportunities, higher social status and salaries, coupled with strong fiscal inputs, have helped boost the professionalism and devotion of teachers at various levels.

In China, education has helped offer tremendous opportunities for millions of people to climb higher up the social ladder. But at the same time, the country's education is often criticized for many reasons. For example, in cities it is difficult to enter into the best schools without money or connections, students have long shouldered too much unnecessary extracurricular work, and some teachers lack a professional spirit and devote themselves to earning more money by offering after-school classes. In rural regions, there are not enough schools and facilities and children from poor families are prone to be left behind.