I'm not attempting to compare here, just point out that it's a university's duty to vet who they are letting in and the mobs that are recruiting for them. As for the university system?Very, very disappointing and does nothing other than perfect one in the art of thinking in box and ready to work in the system, hence the Masonic mortar board cap.

@vicar
i agree half of the crap is completely useless and doesn't do what it's supposed to do, from a historic perspective,-..to prepare us for a professional work life.

But now it seems that the institutes, just want to stretch the years in school. so, that graduates can wave their degrees at their prospective bosses.

with exception of natural science majors.

True.

I don't like the way sciences and philosophy are commonly separated. Today's theories will be replaced tomorrow, as has been historically the case by great minds thinking out of the box.
As Francis Bacon said "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts' but if he is content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties."

I have been reading on this issue for a while now, and the poor performance of Chinese students abroad (in the US and Australia in particular) seems to cast a light on Chinese students and the overall education system here. The performance of a few elite and selected students from elite schools in Shanghai on international exams does not reflect the ability of the average Chinese students. Especially if they are any thng like the hordes of numb skulls I was stuck with the last few years. While a small percentage do well of course, most either struggle with great effort to get a C average at best or flunk out or or dismissed from western schools for repeated plagiarism, blanatnt cheating or plain inability. Most seemed shocked from what I have read that something as trivial as submitting a term paper downloaded from the Internet would warrant attention at all, much less discipline. When Chinese students abroad fail a class and must take it over they are confused and pissed off that there is no retest with a guaranteed passing score or that the teacher or administration will not take bribes. In China students simply do not fail in college. They get an A or B as that makes the school look better. Chinese teachers often are made to rewrite students papers to make them better. There is D average here, it goes A to B to C and then F but Chinese teachers who dispense Fs (and foreign as well) too liberally are let go. I have been flat t told not to fail students. Even if they never have come to class. When students used to this style of " learning" are sent to places where you have to retake classes and cheating results in failing or dismissal they are doomed to poor results.