不忘中囯之164：中国教育的溃败

中国教育的溃败：精神与价值贫困的年代

信源：亚洲周刊｜编辑：2009-03-30
        许知远／第三排的短髮女生说：「我二十一岁，为什么活得却像是四十一岁？每天都被很多压力裹著，论文、GRE、考研、找工作……」因为情绪激动，她的语速急促，像是迫不及待要把胸中的积鬱释放出来，她的单薄身躯承受不住了。这是北京大学的一堂讲座课，我是这堂课的讲演者，台下是新闻学院的三年级学生。他们的表现出乎我的意料。他们大多出生在一九八七年前后，在九十年代后期度过青春期。这二十年经济扩张、物质丰裕、资讯发达、中国日渐卷入全球化的过程，也是意识形态死亡的二十年。

 我们曾本能的相信，这种环境将孕育出更独立、更自由、对世界了解更宽阔的一代人，而他们将把中国社会带入一个新阶段。但事实好像并非如此。这堂课程像是这一代人困境的某种缩影。在讲课环节时，我发现他们对世界所知甚少，十五年前我读书时被认定为必须知道的人类历史和重要人物，他们几乎都很陌生。

而在交流环节时，他们都抑制不住的表达自己的受挫感，他们感觉到社会的巨大压力，不相信个人的意志与力量，感到自己一直在遵循别人的要求而生活。诗歌、爱情、理想主义，这些青春必要的元素，在他们的生活普遍性的缺席。

接触的时间短暂，或许我的观察不可避免的带有偏见。两天后，我在《南方週末》上读到了关于义乌工商学院的「超级毕业生」的报道。这所学校的副院长是个狂热学生创业支持者，学生最普遍的创业方式是在淘宝网上开办自己的小店，他们中最成功的一位叫杨甫刚，他二十四岁，刚毕业不久，却已月收入四万元，还僱用六位员工，其中一位还来自名校武汉大学。

 在就业形势严峻的此刻，他是这所默默无闻的学院的奇蹟和希望。如今，这所学院正变成一所淘宝创业家的乐园，宿舍里堆满了纸盒子、接不完的电话，年轻人大部分时光都消耗在网上----他们是一群网路世界的小商小贩。副院长贾少华则对记者说：「延续培养精英的老思想，那是误人子弟。」

北京大学和义乌工商学院，是中国高等教育的两个极端，却陷入同样的困境----教育的目的和意义，彻底缺失了。大学失去了独立性，不仅屈服与政治压力，也臣服在社会压力之下。而年轻人，这些代表著国家与社会未来的新血液，一方面缺乏灵魂上与知识上的引导者，缺乏保护和鼓励，另一方面被提前推入赤裸裸的达尔文主义式的竞争中，被挤压和驯服，用自己的青春热情和创造力来交换生存哲学。他们没有被当作一个个人来看待，而只是巨大的经济社会机器上的一个齿轮。

我理解那个北大女生的感慨。即使在中国最知名的学府，教育理念也很少被提及。这所大学担负著盛名，却早已交出了原则和信念。行政化与商业化，这两个趋势正扼杀掉它的生命力。它本应是中国最精英大学，为这个国家提供最杰出的头脑、最富批评性的观念、最具理想主义的青年。但它对于这一使命，视而不见。那些费尽心机考入这所大学的青年，在短暂的虚荣心被满足之后，发现了无穷的失落。

他们渴望在这里被启发，被引导，被激发出生命中最灿烂的东西，并寻找到自己最想走的道路。当这一切都没有时，他就只能成为流行观念的俘虏。他要成为别人希望的自己，他要和很多同龄人在同样的社会标准进行同样的竞争，于是竞争就变得残酷无比，他越发迷失了自己。

我也理解贾少华的感慨和杨甫刚的选择。是啊，这样一所学院，既没有传统也没有现实的师资和学生的竞争力，它唯一的优势在于它背靠这个出名的义乌----全球小商品的集散地。与其让学生在校园里无所事事的四年、或者学习那样僵死的知识，不如让他们及早进入社会。但很显然，贾少华误解了「精英教育」。中国大学从未给学生提供过「精英教育」，僵化、刻板、陈旧，不是精英教育。而他提供的解决之道，或许不再刻板、陈旧，却只是一种带有新的毒性的解药。

他使教育彻底庸俗化，事实上，他的方法没给学生带来任何新的价值，学生们只是提前变成了小商贩。他们的成功也是如此脆弱，就像《南方週末》的记者潘晓凌总结的：「最低的运营成本、最充裕的时间，再加上青春无敌的精力，这些全天黏在电脑前的超级学生们拥有难以複製的竞争力。」但是，义乌已有太多这样的勤奋小商人，或许他们的很多父母都是如此，那揦这所学院的存在还有何价值，另一座有个学院名字的批发市场吗？

在某种意义上，二十岁左右的这一代人，或许是最不幸的一代。他们生活在物质、资讯过分丰沛、精神与价值却如此匮乏的年代，也是一个技术手段不断增悤的年代，目的和意义却消失了的年代。

许知远，二零零零年毕业于北京大学，现为《生活》杂志的联合出版人，也是《金融时报》中文网的专栏作家。他最近的一本书是《中国纪事》。
       

M: he has no difference from other critics.  Only knows how to critic but never have a workable solution. He couldn't even hire one person.
I admire the Yi Wu MBA. This is what MBA is all about.

W: 鲁迅didn't have any workable solution, either.does that make him a useless writer?

M: I do not think so. Luxun is the leader of WuSi culture reform, which eventually ends the influence of Qing dynasty.
What is XU?
Trying to do sth useful is very much different from crying for pains or suffering. You either save their soul or fill their stomach. If you can not then keep quiet

W: hence everybody keeps their mouth shut and let others soul lost and care about their own stomach.

M: I would choose to quietly sponsor one or two kids who need help;

Or the way like you did to donate some blood.

Speaking sth useless is worse than useless…Can he help create jobs for the hundreds of YIWu MBAs

We are human being we everybody needs to survive, especially in the bear market.

I think he can write sth, but please do not mark him a title like “Writer”… To me, this is the joke.

Yes, stomach is the first priority, if I also put you or Xu in hungery for 1-2 weeks, I would bet 1000HKD that you want food before you want a book

Just Cut the Crap.

W:The purpose of education is the topic. If all we ask for from the best of the youth is the ability to feed their own stomach, it's a social tragedy.

University is not a food camp.

You want to make money, open a shop online or do whatever you want.

Nobody said stomach is not priority, so saying the obvious is useless

Cut the crap

M: What is end purpose of education for?

Make a living first and make the society better later.

At the end of day, MBA program is teaching what YiWu is just doing… Whatever from Harvard, or Guang Hua or Yiwu…Young students in Yiwu are real practitioners, not those who can afford to listen to paper case studies…

I think the key is If you can not make a living, then the school should teach you how to make a living, other wise you find a way out…

Xu graduated from Beijing University….Now here comes sth funny: 1) if Xu said BJU does not know how to educate young students, then can I say BJU failed? Xu and many others who can make a good life because of BJU and now know how to critic the society seems the program works well;

If BJU is successful, how their graduates can can not create the jobs for others who need help, meanwhile claiming we need a better society.

Please put your foot on the ground. If a school can not help/teach students fill their stomach, then teaching Shakespeare is BIG JOKE.

Xu does not like sb in BJU to be filled with too much academics, and he also dislike those poor student or maybe “Less-smart” students (vs BJU) in Yi WU to make life easier

What his suggestions on Chinese Education Reform? He has nothing, but only craps... please cut the Crap.

W: 我不赞同你的观点，但我誓死捍卫你发言的权利。-伏尔泰

M: Ha ha ..But I did not see your own points..You simply quote others, and defends theirs..but我誓死捍卫你发言的权利, too

W:I agree with his points(or the way i interpret his points)

From what i know, both realities are true:

1. many(perhaps majority) college students can't even find a job

2. those "elites" who should be thinking about bigger questions are not

lastly, 你也应该誓死捍卫许知远说话的权利

M: I never say he does not have the right to speak

But I am only thinking he wastes my times (or maybe yours) too much by being criticizing sth for years, but never coming out with sth more useful…

So please name him a CRITIC but not WRITER

Still you do not have your own points at this topic as well  ...haha, teasing you apart is more fun than reading Xu’s craps