One of the problems existing in China’s ongoing educational system is its divorce
from the labor markets, and it is closely associated with the way to assess educational
outcomes in China. China probably has the longest history of tests and examination in
the world. Today, tests and examination are still the tools to assess educational
outcome in China, and the scores of various tests are still used in many places as the
sole determinant factors for promoting students into higher level of education or even
grades. Based on such a way in educational assessment, it is not surprised at what the
educational system supplies would not necessarily meet the demand of the labor
markets. Lack of a market-oriented system for educational outcomes seems a key for
the problem.
China’s skill assessment system is more characterized with the planned economy, and
remains little reformed during past over two decades. The ministry of education is the
main body responsible for assessment of formal educational outcomes and literacy.