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The Guardian gets it, at last

Hideously diverse Britain: School success – the Chinese way | UK news | The Guardian.

Whenever anyone told us that certain ethnic groups do badly in school because of discrimination, my wife and I asked (based on her experiences teaching in state schools) "...if teachers are conventionally racist, why do Chinese pupils do so well and white working class children do so badly?"

Now, even the Guardian seems to get the point.

The national average for pupils in 2009 who were eligible for free school meals and achieved five or more A* to C GCSE grades including English and maths was 26.6%. British Chinese pupils in the same category achieved 70.8%. In other groups, there was a wide attainment gap between the poorest and the most socially advantaged pupils. The rates for poorer and better-off Chinese pupils differed by just 2%. So they do better, and social deprivation doesn't seem to hold them back. Why is that?

Cutting through all the condescension in the linked article, the answer is simple; the parents. What is more it's hard to argue (unless you are unconventionally racist) that there is anything Chinese parents do that other parents couldn't do just as well.

Not only is the racism industry a self-serving scam that harms the people it purports to protect, but - joy of joys - the idea that social deprivation determines life chances is stupid and dangerous too. What a life-enhancing, liberating insight! There's no need for any parent to blame others for their childrens lack of achievement. They can just show up to their parents' evenings, encourage them to do their homework and generally make it clear to them that education matters.

Who knew? Well, obviously the Chinese - and every other parent uncorrupted by British orthodoxy.

To put it another way, the envy-laden, excuse-generating ideology of the Labour movement and its house rag is - and always has been - destructive nonsense. So when can we expect a change of editorial line and a thoroughgoing purge of left-wing educationalists who have trashed the life-chances of millions? Perhaps not just yet.

Comments

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Moggsy

Confidentially.... I heard bears do their business in the woods.

Jill, No way.

Paul

I understand there are also significant differences between "black boys" (the usual problem) ; i.e. Ghanaian origin do much better than Caribbean origin. Most teachers probably can't tell the difference between the two.

Jill

Genetic IQ base?

Bucko

Well the parents aren't going to like that. No one to blame but themselves?
I think that may be to big a change for their beleif system to handle.

SimonF

Who'd a thunk it, parents have a massive influence on their children's education and future. They'll be telling us the Pope's a Catholic next.

Seriously though, having worked in Asian countries countries and seen the value that they all, not just the poor, put on education I'm not in the least surprised.

anarchyland

Bloody hell. I'm genuinely shocked.

Excellent commentary as always.

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