Shanghai’s position at the top of the OECD league has left other countries determined to learn from its success, but in China itself the education system has been criticised by parents, students and government officials for focusing too much on rote learning.
In fact, growing numbers of students are choosing to study overseas – at younger ages – to escape what they or their parents perceive as a second class education at home.
The number of mainland pupils going overseas to study at school or university level has more than tripled in the past decade and China is now the world’s largest source of students studying outside their home country, a significant vote of no-confidence in the quality of education at home.