Cost of education can ruin parents

中國(guó)父母迫切想要送子女出國(guó)深造的情況已存在幾十年了.如今,家長(zhǎng)認(rèn)為出國(guó)留學(xué)能讓孩子在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的國(guó)內(nèi)就業(yè)市場(chǎng)占據(jù)優(yōu)勢(shì),因此,這種情況愈演愈烈.

The desire to send offspring to schools overseas has existed for decades in China, although today it is largely fueled by the belief that it gives youngsters an advantage in the tough domestic employment market.

然而,只有少數(shù)家庭有足夠的積蓄來(lái)支付外國(guó)學(xué)校高昂的學(xué)費(fèi)、住宿費(fèi)及生活費(fèi).這導(dǎo)致很多家長(zhǎng)會(huì)選擇在自己人生的關(guān)鍵時(shí)刻背負(fù)高額債務(wù).此類的留學(xué)投資通常都會(huì)產(chǎn)生社會(huì)學(xué)家所謂的"新城市貧民".

However, not many Chinese families have enough saved in the bank to cover the tuition fees and accommodation and living expenses. Instead, many are choosing to take on massive debt at a critical time in their own life. Such investments often create what sociologists call "the new urban poor".

最近,一些國(guó)外大學(xué)的管理監(jiān)督漏洞,更增加了那些支付高昂費(fèi)用送子女留學(xué)的家庭的風(fēng)險(xiǎn).

Recently, the control failures in some universities increase risks families face in paying out huge sums to have their children educated overseas.

首都師范大學(xué)教育政策研究員勞凱聲表示："家長(zhǎng)花光所有積蓄送子女出國(guó)是在拿錢賭孩子的明天.如果孩子們找不到體面的工作、沒有預(yù)期的收入,家長(zhǎng)自然就會(huì)身陷貧困."

"Parents are surrendering their last resources to wager them on a child's future by sending them abroad," said Lao Kaisheng, an education policy researcher at Capital Normal University. "If these children don't get the decent jobs and the salary that is expected, their parents will naturally be sucked into poverty."

專家認(rèn)為,這就是一場(chǎng)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)很高的賭博.盡管家長(zhǎng)們將出國(guó)留學(xué)視為一條成功的捷徑,但有關(guān)專家稱,沒有多少家長(zhǎng)真正了解發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家大學(xué)在教育質(zhì)量上存在的巨大差異.

It is a gamble, experts say, and the stakes are high.Although parents see an overseas education as a shortcut to success, experts argue that very few truly understand the vast differences in quality that exist among colleges in developed nations.

中國(guó)人民大學(xué)社會(huì)學(xué)教授周孝正（音譯）認(rèn)為,中國(guó)家長(zhǎng)愿意為孩子花錢是眾所周知的事.但他也提醒說,當(dāng)下那些利益為先的院校大多都是二、三流的學(xué)校,它們既不提供獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金也沒有任何補(bǔ)助.周孝正稱,家長(zhǎng)們需要理智地對(duì)待孩子留學(xué)的問題,弄清楚自己究竟想讓子女在留學(xué)期間收獲什么,是心智的成長(zhǎng)還是實(shí)用技能的培養(yǎng).

Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Renmin University of China, said everybody knows Chinese parents are willing to spend money on their children, but he warned that those looking to benefit today are largely "second- and third-rate colleges that don't offer scholarships or subsidies".Parents need to be reasonable, he said, as well as "clear about what they expect from the study period, mental development or practical skills".

詞語(yǔ)注釋：

愈演愈烈（yù yǎn yù liè）become increasingly intense

漏洞（lòudòng）loophole

補(bǔ)助（bǔzhù）allowance

心智（xīnzhì）mental

Source: myechinese.com