Over 133 lakh students take China's Gaokao, 10x more than India's biggest exams
China came to a halt this Saturday as 13.35 million (133.5 lakh) students sat for the Gaokao 2025 – the national college entrance exam that can make or break careers. Held across thousands of centres, this year's number was slightly lower than 2024, when 13.42 million students took the test.Known for being one of the toughest university entrance exams in the world, Gaokao decides who gets into China's top colleges. The pressure? Immense. Outside each centre, crowds of anxious parents waited with snacks, drinks, and even flowers, hoping to cheer their kids on.What's interesting is that the number of students that appear for this exam in China is much higher than the number that appeared for the last CBSE Class 12 board exams (16.92 lakhs) or the last JEE Mains (12.58 lakhs) session. The number of participants is more than 10 times than those appearing for the biggest exams in India!SECURITY, AI CAMERAS AND FREE RIDES FOR STUDENTSGaokao day in China is no ordinary day. Cities brought in temporary traffic rules to keep roads around exam halls clear. Many students even got free transport help to reach their centres on time.Inside, some centres used AI-powered cameras to catch anything unusual -- an extra step to avoid cheating and maintain fairness. Police used drones and other high-tech tools to watch over the process.Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang visited a school in Taiyuan and called for extra safety and fairness during the exam.GAOKAO STILL SEEN AS A DOOR TO A BETTER FUTUREEver since it was brought back in 1977, Gaokao has helped millions move ahead in life. As per Xinhua, 'Gaokao, the unified exam, has transformed millions of lives through merit-based selection.'According to China's education ministry, over 47 million students were enrolled in colleges and universities by 2023. While the gross enrolment rate in higher education has crossed 60%, fresh graduates face tough job prospects due to a slowing economy -- about 12 million students enter the workforce every year.(With PTI inputs)
advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
MLA seeks legal push to deport illegal immigrants
Lucknow: BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh has written to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, urging immediate legal reforms to fast-track the deportation of over two crore illegal immigrants, citing national security and demographic concerns. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Quoting ministry of home affairs data, Singh said that the number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants exceeded one crore in 1997, rose to 1.2 crore by 2004, and surpassed two crore by 2016. "Despite this, deportation figures remain negligible due to procedural loopholes and the misuse of Article 21 protections by infiltrators, often aided by activist lawyers and NGOs," he said. Calling the issue a "silent invasion," Singh proposed a six-point reform plan that includes amending the Foreigners Act, empowering district magistrates for direct deportation, setting up special tribunals, and introducing a unified 'National Immigration Control Act.' He also recommended the use of AI-backed NRC-NPR identification, the establishment of detention centres, and strict limits on judicial interference. Drawing parallels with Pakistan's deportation of eight lakh Afghans, Singh urged India to adopt a firm, time-bound mechanism. "India must act decisively to protect its sovereignty and internal security," he wrote.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Bangladesh interim chief Yunus not interested in being part of new elected govt
Bangladesh's interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday said that he would not be interested in being part of the next elected government, reported news agency PTI. 84-year-old Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took over the government in August, 2024, after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Yunus announced last week that national elections will be held by the first half of April 2026. Also Read: Bangladesh to hold elections in April 2026, announces interim leader Muhammad Yunus "No way, no way. I think no one of our cabinet members (Council of Advisers) would like to do that," he said, in response to a question on whether he has any desire to become part of the next democratically elected government. During the session at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Chatham House, London, he added, 'We want to make sure that the election is right. This is a very critical factor for us." Also Read: 'Spirit of mutual respect': What Bangladesh's Yunus said in reply to PM Modi's Eid greetings Yunus also questioned whether Sheikh Hasina's Awami League qualified as a political party when they were accused of killing young people, causing disappearances and stealing public money. Saddam Hussain, President of the Bangladesh Students League, the student wing of the Awami League, called the announcement of the national elections a 'state-sponsored drama.' Also Read: Bangladesh minister says Muhammad Yunus not going to step down: 'He doesn't hanker after power' 'The elections are not the priority of this government. This is just a state-sponsored drama. They will use this for their own purpose. They banned the Bangladesh Awami League. The people of Bangladesh are waiting for a democratic representative to govern the country,' he said. He added, 'The present government has no control over the law and order situation. For restoring democracy in Bangladesh, we have no other option than the removal of this current fascist regime. Muhammad Yunus is using the state machinery for his own personal agenda."
The Wire
4 hours ago
- The Wire
Appearing Before Probe Panel, KCR Says Engineers Responsible For Change in Kaleshwaram Project Site
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Government Appearing Before Probe Panel, KCR Says Engineers Responsible For Change in Kaleshwaram Project Site N. Rahul 21 minutes ago He reportedly also held the engineers responsible for the Medigadda barrage being used to store and not regulate the flow of water. Former Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao arrives at the office of the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission in Hyderabad on June 11, 2025. Photo: PTI. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now Hyderabad: Former Telangana chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) president K. Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday (June 11) appeared before a judicial inquiry commission here probing allegations of corruption and poor quality of construction in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project on the Godavari River. The inquiry was conducted in camera at Rao's request as he was unwell and did not wish to be surrounded by mediapersons and others who would have crowded the room. A judicial commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose had been hearing witnesses for 15 months regarding the reasons for the escalation of the Kaleshwaram project's cost from Rs 82,000 crore to nearly Rs 1.5 lakh crore during the BRS regime. It has also held hearings regarding the sinking of two piers of the project's principal barrage at Medigadda in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district a month before the party was voted out of power in the November 2023 assembly election. On Wednesday, Rao walked into the commission's office in response to a notice as a sequel to the hearing of his erstwhile cabinet colleagues T. Harish Rao and Eatala Rajender days earlier. He was loudly cheered on by party supporters in large numbers both before entering and while leaving the office at the multi-storied Burgula Ramakrishna Rao Bhavan near the state secretariat. In this image released by @brsparty on June 11, 2025, KCR greets supporters, party leaders and workers after appearing before the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission in Hyderabad. Photo via PTI. Sources in the commission indicated that Rao was asked to identify those persons who decided to shift the site of the barrage from Tummidihatti in the erstwhile Adilabad district to Medigadda, 20 kilometres downstream the Godavari. To this, Rao replied that it was purely a technical decision made by an expert team of engineers on the basis of a study conducted by the Water and Power Consultants (WAPCOS) Limited, which is a Union government undertaking. It is significant that the project was shifted from Tummidihatti on the Pranahita River, a tributary of the Godavari, to Medigadda, where the two rivers meet 20 kilometres downstream of the Kaleshwaram village, after substantial work was carried out at the former site. The shift not only resulted in the project cost going up from Rs 38,500 crore to Rs 82,000 crore by an initial estimate and later to Rs 1.5 lakh crore, but it also led to the loss of Rs 767 crore to the state exchequer, as many works had become redundant. Rao explained that the change of site enabled an increase in the amount of irrigable land from 2.47 lakh acres to 16.40 lakh acres with the construction of three barrages and 17 reservoirs. He also said the project at Tummidihatti had to be abandoned as the government of the adjoining Maharashtra had set up obstacles to the construction of a dam with a height of 152 metres due to submergence issues in its territory that would inundate a sanctuary. Instead, it suggested a height of 148 metres, which was too small for a project of that size. To another question, Rao was also said to have held the engineers responsible for the storage of water at the Medigadda barrage, though its construction was meant to regulate the flow of water after its pumping to two other barrages at Annaram and Sundilla en route to several reservoirs and a canal network. 'It was not a political decision [with regard to] the storage of water,' he was quoted as saying. The storage as opposed to the regulation of water at Medigadda was cited as one of the main reasons for the sinking of piers and for seepage at the other two barrages on account of strain on the soil without adequate supporting rafts. He was said to have elaborated that the shift was made as part of an effort to reengineer existing projects after the Central Water Commission (CWC) and WAPCOS had communicated that there was not enough water available to irrigate the targeted ayacut under the original project at Tummidihatti. All required clearances from the CWC were obtained. The approval for the shift was given by the cabinet headed by him and later the government issued an order, he said. Asked to spell out the reason for the government repaying the loans of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created for the project though the same was the latter's responsibility, Rao said it was due to financial constraints. As the SPV could not generate the targeted revenue through the sale of water, the government stepped in as a guarantor, he said. He also agreed there was some delay repaying the amount due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rao explained that the government floated the SPV to raise funds as it had its own financial constraints after the formation of Telangana only a year earlier, that is in 2014. The project was shifted from Tummidihatti to Medigadda even after substantial work was conducted at the former site. In this photo courtesy X/@KTRBRS, work on a section of the Kaleshwaram project is seen underway. Harish Rao, Rajender said cabinet cleared Kaleshwaram on group of ministers' recommendation In an earlier cross-examination, then-irrigation minister Harish Rao on Monday said the reengineering of projects was taken up by the BRS government as the earlier ones proposed by the Congress suffered from inter-state problems and the lack of statutory permissions from the CWC. The Pranahita project, in particular, was redesigned from a dam carrying water by gravity to a multi-stage lift-irrigation scheme at Medigadda. The government was compelled to change the source from Tummidihatti since the water availability there was only 44 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet at a dam height of 148 meters, he said. On the other hand, the yield was confirmed by the CWC as 282.3 tmc at Medigadda. He referred to the obstacles set up by the Congress and BJP governments of Maharashtra, which opposed the projects during their tenures. Harish Rao also said it was purely a technical decision of engineers to store 141 tmc ft of water in the three barrages together to be able to irrigate 16.40 lakh acres of land. The Kaleshwaram project was approved by the cabinet on the recommendations of a group of ministers (GoM) headed by him which looked at the reengineering of projects, he said. Then-finance minister Rajender, also a member of the GoM, said on Friday that the project was approved by the cabinet. The GoM had thoroughly studied the report of the expert committee and made the recommendation to the cabinet to go ahead with the revised project, he said. Rajender said the construction of barrages was taken up through off-budget borrowings though the SPV gave an undertaking to the lending banks to pay from revenue accruals through the sale of water to industries as well as urban and rural drinking water schemes. In practice, there was no collection of money from these sources. Harish Rao addresses the press after appearing before the Justice P.C. Ghose commission on June 9, 2025. Photo: PTI. Agriculture minister in Congress cabinet rejects GoM claim The version recollected by Rajender, who had since joined the BJP and is presently a Lok Sabha MP, was rejected by now-agriculture minister of the Congress government, Tummala Nageswara Rao, who was also a member of the GoM. He called it 'false, misleading and part of a larger conspiracy to deflect from the ongoing investigation'. He said 'the GoM on which I served never deliberated on the Kaleshwaram project'. The government order sanctioning the project was issued before the committee was even formed, he said. It was never discussed or approved by the cabinet during the BRS regime, 'a fact I can personally attest to', he remarked. While offering to cooperate with the commission, he said he would submit an affidavit with all relevant documentary evidence to refute Rajender's 'baseless' claims. Clarifying the GoM's role, Nageswara Rao said it was formed to review only pending projects such as in Devadula, Kantanapalli and Dummugudem, and not Kaleshwaram. He accused the BRS of deliberately twisting facts to derail the investigation and mislead the public. The commission has examined 115 witnesses till date since its constitution on March 14 last year. Several irrigation engineers, construction firms, quality control and operation and maintenance authorities are among those who appeared before it. Telangana's incumbent chief secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, his predecessor Somesh Kumar, then-special chief secretaries of irrigation S.K. Joshi and Rajat Kumar, IAS officials Smita Sabharwal and Vikas Raj, irrigation officials led by engineer-in-chief C. Muralidhar, stakeholders like Sriram Vedire, advisor to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and MLC M. Kodandaram also deposed before it. A retired chief engineer of the Kaleshwaram project, N. Venkateshwarlu, created a stir by saying that 'everything in the Kaleshwaram project was decided by Chandrashekar Rao'. Some engineers said the construction of barrages at the three sites was a premeditated decision though WAPCOS was given the responsibility of preparing the detailed project report. The payment of bills to contractors was made before project completion, they said. They attributed the sinking of piers to design and quality deficiencies and the lack of proper maintenance. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Telangana Ex-CM KCR, Two Cabinet Colleagues Summoned by Commission Examining Kaleswaram Irregularities Telangana: With Daughter's Rebellion and Emerging Family Fault Lines, KCR Has Decisions to Make Adivasis Against Maoism: From Resistance to Negotiation Senior Journalist in Andhra Pradesh Arrested Over Talk Show Panelist's Remarks; Triggers Political Uproar 'In Public Interest': MMRDA Tells SC as it Scraps Tender for Mumbai Elevated Road, Tunnel Projects Why the ADB Withdrew its $434.25-Million Loan to a Solar Project in Assam Five Stark Instances Counter Environment Minister's 'Democracy Walking Alongside Development' Remark As Families Camped Outside Hospital, Police Cremated 'Unclaimed' Bodies of Killed Maoists Not Even Skeletal Remains, Ashes of N. Keshava Rao and Other Slain Maoists Given to Kin View in Desktop Mode About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
