China Rings In College Entrance Exams 　　At 9 o'clock July 7 morning, 3.4 million Chinese high school students started the three-day national college entrance examinations. 　　Half a month of continued high temperatures in Beijing had worried parents and students about their performance on the exams, but today's 25 degrees C in Beijing were better and China Meteorology Bureau sources say that from July 7 to 9, most of China will have moderate temperatures. 　　Some 50,000 Beijing high school students will take part in today's exams. To provide a quiet and comfortable environment for them, the Beijing municipal government has asked all building sites to be quiet for the next three days, or suffer penalties. 　　At about half past nine, some parents who had accompanied their children to the exam site at the middle school attached to the Beijing Normal University were still hanging about, with hearts reaching out to their beloved ones. 　　In fact, The Ministry of Education announced two increases in college enrollment quotas this year. The ministry formerly set the limit at 2.3 million, an increase of 230,000 over 1998's limit. Then, last month, it announced that another 330,000 would be added, meaning nearly 2.7 million people will be fortunate enough to pursue further studies at college. 　　Parents say, however, that their children are still under great pressure and that this change still does not guarantee that all high school grads can have an opportunity to study in college. 　　China held a national conference on education last month, where President Jiang Zemin asked government at all levels to give priority to education and to push higher education reforms forward and to improve quality. 　　Education specialists say that with the acceleration of higher education reforms and the stress on quality, the 11 percent college enrollment rate target set by the Ministry of Education is expected to be reached ahead of schedule. 　　College freshmen will have to pay for tuition themselves this year, but those who are unable to pay still have the possibility of completing their college study. On September 1, the Chinese government will start providing loans for poor college students in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Wuhan. 　　Ministry of Education sources say that students will know their exam scores in 20 days. 　　China resumed national entrance exams in 1977, which is thought to be a fairer way to enroll young talents in its colleges and universities. (Xinhua) HomeNews 1999-07-08 Page1 Full Story in Chinese