The same degree, the same treatment, the same effect, the vocational education college entrance examination: another track to university
"Double reduction" is vigorously promoted, but it is still difficult to extinguish the anxiety of parents wanting their children to go to a good university.
The general job diversion policy in the middle school entrance examination stage has caused many parents to fall into a "stratified" panic.
In February this year, at the press conference held by the Ministry of Education, the relevant person in charge introduced that one of the "five key points" to be broken this year is to make the "vocational education college entrance examination" the main channel for higher vocational admissions, so as to effectively relieve the pressure of the high school entrance examination. and educational anxiety.
Vocational education college entrance examination is an important achievement and a landmark move of the great reform and development of vocational education since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
It can be seen from the statement of the Ministry of Education that high expectations are placed on the vocational education college entrance examination.
The central government hopes to promote the establishment of a "Vocational Education College Entrance Examination" system with provincial overall planning, comprehensive evaluation, and multiple admissions, so as to improve the situation of "thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge" through the ordinary college entrance examination, and become another "track" for college.
What is the Vocational College Entrance Examination? Who can refer?
The vocational education college entrance examination system is an examination and enrollment system with the same function as the general education college entrance examination system.
The establishment of the vocational education college entrance examination system aims to unblock the growth channels of technical and skilled talents, comprehensively build a training system for applied talents that connects secondary vocational education, junior vocational education, undergraduate vocational education, and professional degree postgraduate education, and breaks the single-plank pattern of the ordinary college entrance examination. Vocational education, general education parallel dual-lane college entrance examination.
The concept of vocational education college entrance examination was first proposed in the "National Vocational Education Reform Implementation Plan" issued in 2019.
Before that, it appeared under the name of "Higher Vocational Classification Exam".
In 2014, the state required the implementation of higher vocational education classification examination admissions, which is relatively separate from ordinary college examination admissions. After that, 31 provinces across the country basically established their own vocational education classification examination admissions systems according to their own conditions.
For example, Shandong explores the implementation of the spring college entrance examination system and upgrades it to the vocational education college entrance examination in 2022. The implementation effect is good. The proportion of undergraduate admissions passing the vocational education college entrance examination in the province has changed from 6:1 to 4:1, and the proportion of secondary vocational students entering higher education exceeds 70%. .
In theory, all high school graduates can take the vocational education college entrance examination, whether they are fresh graduates of ordinary high schools or secondary vocational schools or former students.
Of course, the focus of the vocational education college entrance examination is also for secondary vocational graduates, so that they can enter the university through the vocational education college entrance examination, further study, get a bachelor's degree, and receive higher-level and higher-quality education.
How to take the test? Where are you going?
According to the vocational education college entrance examination plans announced in various places, it can be seen that the comprehensive examination mode of "cultural quality + vocational skills" is basically adopted in various places.
The cultural quality test takes three subjects: Chinese, mathematics, and foreign language. The vocational skills test adopts the "1+2" curriculum model, that is, one professional basic course, plus two professional core courses, and the three courses should cover the most important major category of the major. professional basic theoretical knowledge and skills.
The exam is conducted in the form of "paper-pencil test + practical operation".
The cost of the actual operation test is relatively high, whether it is labor cost, time cost, site cost or material cost, etc., it is much higher than the paper-based test cost.
There are three main types of schools that enroll in the vocational education college entrance examination: one is 32 vocational undergraduate colleges, the other is 1468 vocational colleges, and the other is an application-oriented undergraduate that is willing to open vocational education undergraduate majors and recruit middle and higher vocational graduates. college.
Among these three types of colleges and universities, vocational education undergraduate schools and application-oriented undergraduate schools are more attractive and will become the first choice for candidates and parents. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Education will select and build about 10 high-level vocational undergraduate education schools. model school.
Vocational colleges, due to the lower educational level, have been regarded as a guaranteed school and the last option by candidates in a sense.
Two types of universities: three different and three the same
There are three main differences between vocational education universities and ordinary universities.
First, the names are different.
It can be distinguished from the name of the school. The state clearly requires the name of vocational education university to be "a certain vocational and technical university", and the name is fixed when it is approved for establishment, and requires these schools to "keep the direction of running the school unchanged, the training model unchanged, and the development of characteristics. Unchangeable”, with clear identity and social characteristics.
Second, the majors are different.
In 2021, the Ministry of Education will study and formulate management measures for the setting of vocational education undergraduate professional catalogues, and at the same time publish 247 vocational education undergraduate professional catalogues to establish a self-contained professional catalogue system.
Third, the evaluation is different.
It is different from the evaluation and requirements of ordinary undergraduate schools.
In 2021, the Ministry of Education will research and formulate the qualification evaluation indicators for teaching work in vocational undergraduate schools, put forward the basic requirements for running schools, and prepare to carry out undergraduate teaching level evaluations for vocational and technical universities.
In addition to the "three differences", vocational education universities and ordinary universities have "three similarities", that is, the same degree, the same treatment, and the same effect.
The degree is the same, that is, the bachelor's degrees of the graduates of vocational and technical universities and ordinary universities are awarded according to disciplines, which are the same, and there is no difference between vocational teaching degrees and ordinary degrees.
The treatment is the same. The state requires graduates of vocational and technical universities to enjoy the same treatment as graduates of ordinary schools in terms of employment, recruitment, professional title evaluation, promotion, etc.
The effect is the same, that is, degrees and academic qualifications issued by vocational and technical universities, like ordinary universities, can participate in postgraduate entrance examinations, employment, etc., and have the same legal effect.
The biggest problem: how to circulate "local food stamps" across the country?
At present, the biggest problem in the vocational college entrance examination is that its test scores are only "local food stamps" in various places, which are difficult to circulate nationwide, and have not become the "hard currency" of the country like the ordinary college entrance examination.
Vocational education college entrance examinations are basically set in the province, organize examinations, and then admit them. Undergraduate schools are also mainly local schools with jurisdiction in the province.
The formulation of test standards, the development of test questions (library), and the evaluation of scores are still "not hard enough", and there is still a lot of room for improvement. The reliability and validity of the test are not high, lacking credibility and authority, and it is difficult to achieve cross-provincial circulation. , it is difficult for candidates in one province to obtain the results of the vocational education college entrance examination to be recognized by other provinces, and cannot be used as the basis for admission by relevant colleges and universities in other provinces.
This is directly related to the practical operation test of skills, and has become a key blocking point for the national circulation of vocational education college entrance examination.
(The author is an associate researcher at the Institute of Vocational and Continuing Education, Chinese Academy of Education Sciences)
Source: "Ban Yue Tan" 2022 Issue No. 9 Original title: "Vocational Education College Entrance Exam: Going to University on Another Track"
Author: Nie Wei