The steady decline in the number of students taking the two-day annual gaokao entrance exam is likely to compel some colleges and universities to search for innovative recruitment methods to enroll enough students, warn China's education experts.

The annual national college entrance exam, also known as the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) started on Tuesday and it is estimated that only 9.4 million students appeared for the annual nationwide exam, which is approximately 20,000 students less as compared to the previous year.  

Like Us on Facebook

13 of China's 34 municipalities, provinces and regions reportedly witnessed a decline in the number of students registering for the annual entrance exam in the current year. This includes major provinces like Beijing, Liaoning and Jiangsu, where decline has reached an all-time low, as per an annual survey released by education portal eol.cn.

Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of eol.cn, cited shrinking population of college-age students and sharp rise in number of Chinese students going for abroad studies as the main reasons behind the recent decline in number of students appearing for the gaokao exams.

Chen added that lesser-known colleges and universities will be adversely affected by the dwindling numbers. "Fewer students taking the gaokao mean it will be more difficult for these colleges and universities to recruit enough students," Chen said.

The gaokao exam lasts for approximately nine hours and spans across two days. The annual exam is treated as a make-or-break examination by millions of Chinese students, many of whom reportedly resort to unconventional methods to cope with exam pressure. Last week, a Chinese province banned students from tearing textbooks and yelling in hallways ahead of the gaokao exam.

Tagschina, Gaokao Exam, Gaokao China, China College Entrance Test, Gaokao, NCEE, China entrance exam, entrance exam