Comment on "China tops the list of overseas students in US" (China Daily, Nov 16)

I just finished delivering a lecture in China with 70 sophomores, who had a week to read the assigned chapter in English. To my surprise, I discovered that less than 15 percent of the students had read the chapter.

Therefore, they could not answer even simple questions from the book.

This is not entirely their fault, for they have been conditioned to sit quietly or sleep in their college class while a professor delivers a lecture for an hour. And at the end of the semester, they try to memorize the "important points" given by the professor so that they could pass the exam.

This is the most important change needed in China's college system. There must be more give and take, and questions and answers between students and professors.

Ma Long, on China Daily website

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(China Daily 11/22/2011 page9)