Like most of Taipei's narrow streets that wind along behind the main thoroughfares, Alley 122 off Jenai Road is quiet during the day. But when dusk falls, the short lane flanked by tall apartment buildings fills with groups of adolescents dressed in matching white shirts and blue shorts or blue pleated skirts, the uniform of nearby Jenai Junior High. Suddenly the alley is alive with noise and motion. For about half an hour, there are so many students that cars and motorcycles have a hard time squeezing through the crowd. The stream of young people flows to the front of a red brick apartment building that looks no different from the surrounding high-rises. By 6:30, the alley has returned to silence, but at 9:30, it briefly comes alive again as the students spill out of the building, bid farewell to each other, and leave for home.
A similar scene is acted out in downtown areas and small towns across the island as students make their way to and from an evening puhsipan (補習班, pronounced “boo-she-ban”), or cram school. Such classes have become an integral part of life for most students. The schools offer subjects appealing to all age groups and needs, from classes for four-year-olds whose parents want to give them a head start on first grade to those for college students cramming for the TOEFL or GRE exams.
Nanyang Street in Taipei, known as “cram-school street,” is jammed with signs attracting students to study everything from elementary math to the GRE and GMAT.
But the most popular type of cram schools are those designed for junior high students preparing for the highly competitive Joint High School Entrance Examination. The exam is virtually the only channel for admittance into a public high school, and because space is limited, only students with test scores in the top third are admitted. Those not admitted can take the test a second time or can try to test into a private high school, vocational school, or junior college, but admission to public high school is considered the best way to prepare for a good college. Faced with this pressure, many youngsters turn to cram schools for help.
The most popular subjects at cram school for junior high students are English, math, physics, and chemistry-the most difficult categories on the entrance exam. Many teenagers spend several nights per week in a cram school before returning home to begin their regular homework. Most schools pack in between forty and two hundred students to a class, and each three-hour-per-week class runs about US$77 per month-an expense that mounts up quickly in families with several children taking several classes.
The pressure to attend cram school can be intense. “Almost everyone I know at school goes to cram schools – I don't think I've met anyone who doesn't go,” says eighth-grader Hsu Yen-ning (徐衍寧). Now in her second year of attending math classes after school, Hsu says it helps with her schoolwork, but is sometimes boring. “I spend a lot of time at cram school,” she says, “but I guess I'm so used to it that I don't feel sorry for myself.”
Hsu's mother, Lee Ting-hui (李庭蕙), has mixed feelings about sending her to cram school. Although her daughter resents the extra schooling, her math scores have improved. Now Lee is considering sending her to English classes as well. “I haven't decided yet because I know she won't like it,” Lee says. “It's a constant struggle for me. On the one hand, I want her to have a happy, pressure-free childhood. On the other, I'm afraid she won't get into a good high school. And if she doesn't, she might not be able to get into a good university.” Lee believes cram schools are a necessary evil. “I know this isn't the best way to educate children,” she says, “but I have no other choice unless the government discontinues the high school entrance exam.”
There are no hard statistics on the number of junior high students who attend such classes, but in some urban neighborhoods, the rate is believed to reach 80 or 90 percent. Even the number of cram schools is hard to determine because most operate illegally. Puhsipans were banned completely from 1973 to 1988, although thousands continued, and after the government lifted the ban, it legalized only two kinds of schools-those teaching subjects not on the high school entrance exam, and those helping students who want to take the exam a second time. With these regulations, the government sought to create a level playing field for all students, but these rules have been largely ignored because of the tremendous demand.
About 3,700 cram schools are registered islandwide, but this number is far below the actual amount. In Taipei, for example, government records show fewer than 150 cram schools serving students preparing to take the test a second time. But many more serve students preparing to take it the first time. In the alleys surrounding virtually every junior high school in the city, dozens of low-profile puhsipans operate. Such schools are now common even in small towns, and some have grown into large enterprises with branches or affiliate schools around the island. Most of these are either not registered or are registered as something other than a school.
Checking out the results – To boost their enrollments, most puhsipans post the entrance exam scores of their top students.
Despite the illegal status and marginal existence of cram schools, those in the business believe they provide a necessary supplement to the regular education system. Chang Hao-jan (張浩然), director of the Taipei Cram School Association, which has been operating for twenty-three years, says cram schools meet needs that are otherwise ignored. English teacher, Howard Kuo (not his real name), shifted to cram schools after ten years in public junior high and high schools because he says he can better serve students. Kuo feels that teachers in regular schools often do not attend to their student's needs. Some are unqualified, he says, such as retired military personnel who were given positions decades ago, and others have become lazy, especially when assigned to students with poor academic track records. “Students often leave class only half understanding the lesson, so they begin losing interest in learning,” he says. “If these students can meet with cram school teachers who are willing to help, why stop them?” Kuo has a reputation among parents and students for his caring, humorous, and creative approach to teaching.
Ho Ta-chiang (何達江), curriculum director of Tachih Junior High School in Taipei, recognizes the supplementary role that cram schools play. Besides helping students who have fallen behind in class, they have a cultural dimension. “Chinese have always loved to take extra nutrients,” he says. “For generations, we have used tonics and health foods with exotic names to enhance our health. The same attitude is applied to education – when students feel they lack educational nutrients at school, they look for supplements elsewhere.”
At the same time, Ho says cram schools also serve as a babysitter for double-income families. In many households where both parents work, Mom and Dad get home long after school lets out. Rather than worry about what the kids are doing after school, parents enroll them in class. Most classes have a teacher's assistant who checks attendance and notifies parents if a child misses a class or shows up more than fifteen minutes late. “The children are kept away from dangers and unhealthy pastimes, such as hanging out at seedy video arcades,” Ho says.
But the main goal for parents is to get their children into a good high school. Many students begin taking entrance exam preparation classes during their first year of junior high, and some start during the summer before seventh grade. Ho says, “Most parents are afraid their children will loose in the final, big race – the entrance exam – if they don't run fast from the very beginning.”
The result of this stiff competition is that cram schools no longer cater primarily to students who have fallen behind; even the top students attend them. These kids are trying for a position at one of the island's best high schools and, in the meantime, use puhsipans to help them reach and stay at the top of the class. Although it is against regulations, many junior high classes keep a roster ranking students month by month according to their cumulative test scores. The system creates an atmosphere of intense competition. “In my daughter's class, the top five students compete fiercely with each other,” says mother Kao Li-hua (高麗華). “They all go to cram schools except my daughter.” Lin Pi-chu (林碧珠) says her son has a classmate who insists on attending puhsipan in order to surpass his classmates. “His mother wants him to cut down on cram school classes for the sake of his health,” Lin says, “but he refuses because he can't bear being second in the class.”
Parents feel the pressure as well. Many compete to get their kids into the best puhsipans. At Howard Kuo's cram school, for instance, one parent who recently registered her daughter for Kuo's English class laments about arriving a day late. “Darn! The good seats have already been taken – I guess she'll have to sit in the back,” she says. “It was my fault. I should have come on the first day of registration.” Other parents try to use backdoor connections or send gifts to cram school teachers in order to get their children into sought-after classes.
Packing them in – Most cram schools are not registered and fail to meet safety regulations. Crowded classes also put front-row seats at a premium.
The teaching method in cram schools is not exotic. Lessons are based closely on those taught in the school system. Because the textbooks are standardized throughout all Taiwan junior high schools, the cram schools can use identical materials, even teaching the same lessons before they are taught in junior high. “When our students get the lessons in class, it's a review,” says one cram school math teacher in Taichung who refuses to give her name. She focuses on giving the students numerous practice problems, then helping them memorize solutions and shortcuts.
Some parents worry that this emphasis on memorization and efficient problem solving will have a negative affect on the way children learn. Says Chiu Hsien-yu (邱顯裕), who has a son in eighth grade, “I worry that cram schools will turn my children into passive learners. That's why my wife and I don't feel comfortable sending our son to one.” Chang Hao-jan of the Taipei Cram School Association acknowledges these criticisms. “There is a great possibility that cram schools turn students into test-taking machine – people who can answer questions quickly and correctly but without really understanding them,” he says. “But we can't avoid this. Our job is to make sure our students pass the entrance exam. That's why parents send their children to us.”
In more serious cases, parents and teachers say cram schools can render some students less confident about their academic ability. Because puhsipans attract clients by boasting that their students get high test scores, some refuse to admit applicants with below-average grades. Teacher Howard Kuo strongly disapproves of such discrimination. “Students with poor academic records come to cram schools to seek help and gain confidence,” he says. “Many of them have already been put into special classes in junior high. If you separate them from the good students again at a cram school, you're not helping them but making them feel even more inferior.”
Another source of controversy is the method used to punish students. Although whacking students' palms or abusing them verbally has been phased out of the regular school system over the last ten years or so, some cram schools continue to use such old-fashioned methods. One popular math teacher in Taipei is known for getting students into good high schools, but also has a reputation for striking students' palms and calves to make them behave. For parents who send their children to this teacher, the harsh punishment is another aspect of cram schools that they put up with in order to help their children academically. “Although most parents don't agree with the idea of physical punishment, they feel they have no choice but to accept it,” says Lin Pi-chu, a mother of two teenaged sons.
Cram schools have also been criticized for the methods used to attract students. Some hold drawings at registration, giving away bicycles, stereos, and video games. Others give students tuition discounts if they bring in friends. According to Chang Hao-jan, some cram schools even work together with junior high teachers, who are given cash rewards if their students enroll. “It is no wonder many teachers complain that students don't respect them – how can students respect you when they know you are selling them to cram schools?” he asks. Some teachers even make their tests deliberately difficult, encouraging students to attend a specific cram school where they can prepare for the tests. The teacher then collects a commission.
The worst cases have involved the high school entrance exam. In years past, several scandals erupted when certain cram schools were rumored to have gained inside information on that year's entrance exam, even though the test is created just before the test date and is guarded with extreme secrecy.
Many of these problems are exacerbated because the government has not made it a high priority to crack down on illegal cram schools. The main reason is that elected officials know their constituents would be up in arms if the schools were closed.
No time for fun – Many parents have mixed feelings about sending their kids to puhsipans. It's a question of a high-pressure childhood or facing possible failure on the high school entrance exam.
Many schools don't even try to become legal because they cannot meet the official requirements. In addition to restricting schools from teaching the most popular subjects, the regulations require schools to meet safety codes that many consider unrealistic. For example, cram schools are classified as entertainment establishments and are required to provide a certain number of car and motorcycle parking spaces based on their size. But land in Taiwan is extremely limited and thus very expensive. “It's impossible to find a building with enough parking spaces to meet the requirement,” Chang says.
Each school must also have at least two exits, with one reserved for emergencies. But few buildings in Taiwan meet such standards, and when a cram school moves in, it is often either very costly or physically impossible to add an emergency exit. Most of the schools fail to pass other safety codes as well. The dangers are heightened when as many as two hundred students file in for an evening's lesson. In their defense, puhsipans point out that they are no more dangerous than other popular but often unregulated teen hangouts, such as video arcades.
Avoiding taxes is another motivation for cram schools not to register. And many hire public junior high school teachers, even though it is against regulations for these teachers to take a side job. Teachers do so because the classes are so lucrative; it is possible to make up to US$3,700 a month for teaching a single class six nights a week. Some teachers have even set up their own cram schools.
But despite the dangers, the money-making schemes, and the added pressure on students, cram schools are going strong. As long as the competition for entering high school remains fierce, kids will continue to spend their after-school hours taking extra classes. “If cram schools weren't helpful,” says puhsipan teacher Howard Kuo, “they wouldn't have survived for so long.”