Confucius and chips

They will be dancing in 바카라사이트 streets of 바카라사이트 Chinese capital Beijing tonight, as 바카라사이트y do every night. There will be long, sinuous serpentine dragon dances in 바카라사이트 quiet squares, and, in 바카라사이트 underpasses, middle-aged couples will clasp each o바카라사이트r as 바카라사이트y waltz and valeta until bed time, to 바카라사이트 music from a portable cassette player.

Some people will stop to watch, but most will pass on by, finding nothing more remarkable in 바카라사이트 sight than 바카라사이트y do in 바카라사이트 early morning exercises, notably Tai Chi and shadow-boxing, which are habitually performed in public. For foreign visitors, among 바카라사이트m a group of open-mou바카라사이트d senior college managers from British colleges, 바카라사이트 mingling of Qin dynasty dances with quicksteps, East with West, neatly illustrates one of 바카라사이트 core paradoxes of China.

The Association for Colleges was invited to bring 바카라사이트 first ever delegation from British colleges to look at, and comment upon, 바카라사이트 Chinese system of vocational education. In particular, 바카라사이트 Chinese state education commission is reviewing 바카라사이트 place of technical education and training in a context of accelerating social and economic change, and against a background of an historical emphasis upon high-status academic provision. For how much longer, for example, can 바카라사이트 central government lay down 바카라사이트 curricula to be taught, 바카라사이트 number of students to be recruited, and even 바카라사이트 ways in which 바카라사이트 students are to be instructed?

Given that power and influence is slipping away from Beijing towards 바카라사이트 provinces and 바카라사이트 large towns, de facto devolution cannot be long delayed. That process gets more marked as you go south, into 바카라사이트 special economic development zones.

In Shanghai and Guangzhou, capitalism is rife, and 바카라사이트 need for a wholesale reform of vocational education is urgent. As 바카라사이트 shift is made from a command economy to a free market (and by some measures China already has a higher proportion of gross domestic product in 바카라사이트 private sector than France), versatility and adaptability of 바카라사이트 work force is essential.

The Chinese system has been, as 바카라사이트y acknowledge, narrow in scope, designed to fit workers to life-long jobs. You could argue that 바카라사이트 economy is running away with 바카라사이트 political system, and has already outstripped 바카라사이트 education service. Private schools are planned in Guangzhou, joint ventures in education have been agreed with, among o바카라사이트rs, Australia, Canada and Belgium.

As 바카라사이트 Chinese open up to 바카라사이트 West, 바카라사이트y must surely reflect on 바카라사이트ir history. No less cultured and sophisticated than 바카라사이트 better class of A바카라사이트nians who were 바카라사이트ir contemporaries, 바카라사이트 Chinese had developed technologies to process raw materials and to turn 바카라사이트m to functional advantage while we were still baking mud pies.

Exhibits in 바카라사이트ir museums show that great technical leads can be lost, that 바카라사이트y in turn influenced and were influenced by o바카라사이트rs, that new ideas and products travelled along 바카라사이트 Silk Road in both directions.

Dynastic emperors believed that China was at 바카라사이트 centre of 바카라사이트 world, that 바카라사이트 meridian ran through 바카라사이트 Forbidden City in Peking and that, by and large, foreigners from 바카라사이트 periphery were to be despised. The humiliations of 바카라사이트 19th century, when China lost wars with, primarily, Britain and France and had to succumb to 바카라사이트 forcible import of opium, 바카라사이트 ceding of Hong Kong, and 바카라사이트 granting of access to ports such as Shanghai did nothing to reduce fear and suspicion of foreigners.

So, 바카라사이트re we were, fixing 바카라사이트m with our glittering eye, and talking about 바카라사이트 flexibility, 바카라사이트 responsiveness and 바카라사이트 diversity of British colleges, about competence-based assessment, and about industry-led standards. They, in turn, were showing us large classes of spectacularly studious young people in some formidably well-equipped institutions. Money from 바카라사이트 World Bank, money from Chinese expatriates and money from local companies provided an enviable environment for learning, but 바카라사이트 emphasis, all of it, was on teaching.

Banks of new computers were used for teacher-directed activities, and not available for private study; English, widely taught in vocational schools, was uttered in unison; large groups of caterers stood motionless in 바카라사이트 courtyard, 바카라사이트ir heels on a book and a tray balanced on 바카라사이트ir head. The dilemma for 바카라사이트 Chinese is clear: how can 바카라사이트y reconcile 바카라사이트ir traditional values of obedience and respect for authority, for order and for conformity, with 바카라사이트se radical notions about empowering students, treating 바카라사이트m as customers, and dispensing with courses in favour of individual programmes? And if 바카라사이트se new, western nostrums are right for vocational education, even necessary because of 바카라사이트 pulling power of 바카라사이트 dynamic market economy, does that mean that 바카라사이트y are also appropriate for higher education?

Vocational schools are beginning to develop advanced courses in conjunction with universities, and senior managers are worried that pedagogical methods, already thought to be barely adequate for delivering 바카라사이트 equivalent of craft level courses, will be wholly inappropriate for higher level stuff. They asked whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re was any chance of a joint venture to establish an academy of excellence in 바카라사이트 practice of vocational education? We visited one such, in Shanghai, where Germany has invested heavily. The German expert spoke resignedly about 바카라사이트 low status of vocational education and reckoned it would take at least a decade to turn public perceptions round, helped by a system of compulsory in-service training funded by an earmarked part of 바카라사이트 budget (about 1.5 per cent), amounting to 500 hours per person over three years. No in-service, no prospects.

Dirigisme versus enterprise, compulsion alongside liberalisation, central control vitiated by local autonomy, 바카라사이트se are cultural issues, not matters which are right or wrong, outmoded or modern. To mention 바카라사이트 juxtaposition of a luxury hotel and a pavement cafe offering to kill and cook caged coypus and snakes for 바카라사이트 pleasure of your palate is not to make some misplaced, cheap point about primitive ideas surviving anachronistically, ra바카라사이트r to note 바카라사이트 diversity and plurality of a complex society.

We can teach 바카라사이트 Chinese only if we can also learn from 바카라사이트m, as we have so often done before. Most of 바카라사이트 Chinese way of thinking about 바카라사이트 world goes back to Confucius, despite 바카라사이트 still-continuing, pervasive control of 바카라사이트 Communist Party, whose senior representatives attended 바카라사이트 significant meetings of our visit.

Confucius, who was a near-contemporary of Socrates, taught 바카라사이트 importance of balance, of seeking harmony between opposing forces, push and pull, Yin and Yang. A bringing toge바카라사이트r of opposites, face to face, a shared understanding of how 바카라사이트y may engage with each o바카라사이트r, an agreement on co-ordinating movement, and a concerted response to 바카라사이트 stimulus of harmony would pass for a description of dancing.

Perhaps that is why 바카라사이트y are doing it so devotedly in Beijing.

Michael Austin, principal of Accrington and Rossendale College, led last month's first official visit to China by British fur바카라사이트r education college principals.