自打上学的第一天起，学生们就被灌输这样一种观念：考试分数越高，日后就能上更好的大学。不过考试成绩并不是影响大学录取的唯一因素。
On May 4, the Ministry of Education announced a new set of measures, including the redistribution of cross-provincial college admission quotas, to rectify the long-standing imbalance in education.
5月4日，教育部公布了一系列新政策，其中包括为了改变长期教育资源不平等而制定的高考跨省生源调控方案。
It encourages universities and colleges in more developed provinces to take a larger number of students from less developed regions.
该政策鼓励发达地区的高等学校招收更多欠发达地区的生源。
The announcement created a heated public discussion. Parents in developed regions fear that the directive will put their children at a disadvantage.
此公告一出，公众舆论就炸开了锅。发达地区的家长们担心这个政策会将自己的孩子置于劣势。
The ministry last week responded to these concerns, saying fewer students from developed regions are taking the entrance exams these days, so their chances for being accepted into colleges and universities will remain the same.
教育部就这些问题进行了解释，近年来发达地区参加高考的学生越来越少，（即便实施对外调出生源计划）他们的升学率还将与之前持平。
And according to Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow at the China National Institute of Education Science, redistribution is hardly a new concept. Since the college entrance exam mechanism was reinstated in 1977, the government has been redistributing admission quotas in accordance with the student numbers in various regions.
据中国教育科学研究院研究员储朝晖介绍，生源调控并不是新概念。自1977年恢复高考后，我国政府就会依据各地区学生的数量调整高考招生配额。
The plan only caught so much attention this year because “this is the first time for the Ministry of Education to announce the redistribution plan,” Chu told the China Business Journal.
储朝晖告诉《中国经营报》，这个计划之所以在今年受到广泛关注是因为“这是教育部第一次出面公布该计划。”
Commentator Wang Shichuan also pointed out that the concept of college admission quotas exists in other countries too. In the US for example, there was an education equality movement in the 1960s that encouraged colleges to use race as a factor in determining admission. That movement triggered a lot of debate over whether it was a form of “reverse discrimination”, Wang wrote in an opinion piece for People’s Daily.
时政评论员王石川还指出，其他国家也存在着大学入学配额的概念。以美国为例，上个世纪六十年代美国出现了教育平等运动，鼓励大学将种族作为招生的考量因素之一。王石川在《人民日报》的一篇时评上写道：这在当时引发了许多争议，争论的焦点是这种运动否是一种“反向歧视”。
While it is reasonable for the government to institute affirmative action to restore education equality, comprehensive measures are needed, commented Global Times.
《环球时报》评论说，尽管政府制定平权政策恢复教育平等是合乎情理的，但是制定综合措施很有必要。
“Moving the finishing line is not a long-term solution. Students need to be given the same start. The ultimate purpose of real educational reform should be giving students the same access to quality education, instead of tampering with the standards of college enrollment.”
“改变终点线不是长久之计。学生需要的是公平的起跑线。教育改革的最终目标是给学生平等接受教育的权利，而不是扰乱高校的招生标准。”
