Recently, the topic of several universities, including Zhejiang University, sending final transcripts to parents has sparked much attention and discussion online.
Observers have noted several viewpoints in online discussions: First, college students are adults and should be independent; cultivating college students should not solely focus on grades and should not treat them like elementary or secondary school students. Second, parents invest in their children's education, so universities have a responsibility to inform them about their children's academic performance, making it reasonable for universities to send transcripts to parents. Third, sending transcripts to parents at the end of the semester is a way for universities to enhance communication with students and parents, which is acceptable.
Why has the topic of "universities sending final transcripts to parents" attracted attention? How should we interpret the various opinions online? What does the practice of "universities sending final transcripts to parents" reflect? What should an ideal university and university life be like? Several scholars have shared their perspectives on these questions with Pengpai News.
Sending final transcripts to parents by universities is not a new phenomenon.
Recently, after netizens shared that Zhejiang University sent students' final transcripts to parents on social media platforms, it gained attention.
Previous reports mentioned that netizens also shared that Southeast University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xi'an Jiao Tong University, Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Fuzhou University, South China University of Technology, and others also mail transcripts to homes, some even include class rankings or send students' grades to parents via SMS, and some notify parents when students fail courses.
After the related reports garnered attention, on April 9th, a teacher from the Academic Affairs Office of Zhejiang University responded to the media, saying that some colleges do indeed mail students' transcripts to parents. This is to ensure parents' right to know, "Although students are adults, tuition fees are provided by parents, so parents still need to be informed." At the same time, some colleges only send transcripts to homes for students with poor grades.
It's worth noting that the topic of "universities sending final transcripts to parents" has been discussed before.
Pengpai News learned from interviews that some universities have had the practice of sending transcripts to parents for over a decade. Mu Zhaohui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences, also told Pengpai News that although universities did not send transcripts to parents in the early days of higher education, it has long been a common practice for universities to do so. Some universities in Taiwan also have similar practices.
Despite many universities having the practice of sending transcripts to parents for many years, why has this topic still attracted attention from society?
"I think this reflects the current society's concern about college students' academic performance and learning," said Zhang Xiaoqiang, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Chongqing University, and a Ph.D. supervisor, in an interview with Pengpai News.
He believes that the intention behind some schools sending transcripts to parents may be to let parents understand students' academic performance and to encourage students' studying through parental supervision.
The educational context behind universities sending transcripts to parents
While netizens focus on whether universities should send transcripts to parents, scholars are concerned about another issue: what does the practice of "many universities sending final transcripts to parents" reflect?
In Mu Zhaohui's view, the phenomenon of "many universities sending final transcripts to parents" under the background of popularizing higher education is to some extent related to the fact that some students have encountered more academic problems nowadays.
"Sending transcripts is also a kind of incentive mechanism, making students realize that they cannot just pursue a diploma at school and must take each semester's study seriously, prompting those students who only seek diplomas to pay attention to their academic performance," Mu Zhaohui said.
"People mistakenly believe that college students are all adults and have good behavior habits, so they think they should not treat college students like middle school students," said Chen Zhiwen, a member of the Academic Committee of the Educational Development Strategy Institute, in an interview with Pengpai News. However, behind this, what many people fail to realize is that after the popularization of higher education, it has become very difficult not to enter college. Some children lacking basic study habits also enter college, making the university environment more like secondary school. It has become common for college students not to study well and fail exams. Therefore, universities have to work with parents to help students develop basic behavioral habits, including study habits.
Furthermore, Chen Zhiwen pointed out that because some parents are eager to urge their children to study before they go to college, some children start to slack off after entering college without parental supervision, leading to failures or even being advised to leave. Once students are advised to leave due to repeated failures, parents often cannot accept it and complain that the school did not communicate about their children's situation earlier. Moreover, if current students are advised to leave due to repeated failures, they may have psychological health problems or extreme reactions, which also puts pressure on the school.
Chen Zhiwen said that because of this, sending transcripts to parents, especially to parents of students with academic issues, has become a preventive measure for many universities. Many prestigious universities also promptly contact parents when they find that a student's academic performance is severely lagging behind, to jointly urge the student to make changes. However, universities generally prefer not to discuss this openly. "During our generation, getting into college was no easy feat, so once we were there, we worked hard. Schools didn't send out report cards to students' parents," says Chen Zhiwen. "In other words, treating university students like high schoolers is a 'no-choice choice' for universities seeking parental assistance and easing their own responsibilities, as well as fulfilling some parents' hopes. Public opinion shouldn't just criticize universities."
Ideal University and Ideal University Life
Facing the diverse voices in public opinion, Mu Zhaohui points out from another perspective that opinions on universities sending students' grades to parents are related to the different demands of the public, including parents, regarding universities.
"Some parents feel there's no need for schools to send their children's report cards, while others want to receive them. To some extent, establishing a home-school communication mechanism shouldn't rely solely on the relatively passive approach of sending report cards; instead, it should establish a normalized communication mechanism and establish communication between universities and families based on different needs," says Mu Zhaohui.
For Zhang Xiaoqiang, a university teacher, the fundamental point of education is to cultivate individuals with independent personalities, so students should have the right to decide whether to inform their parents about their grades. However, parents also have the right to know about their children's studies, but not at the expense of sacrificing the independence of university students. Therefore, in cases where it's necessary for parents to intervene in their children's academic lives, parents can be informed about their children's grades, but care should be taken to use methods that minimize harm to university students.
In the discussion on "universities sending report cards to parents," many netizens also reflected on higher education.
Zhang Xiaoqiang believes that besides adhering to basic academic requirements, the main focus should still be on providing university students with diverse opportunities for choice and diverse evaluation mechanisms. He indicates that currently, the Ministry of Education and some universities are experimenting with project-based learning to address the issues of "exam-centric" grading and scores. The intention is to enable students to solve specific problems encountered in practical engineering through project-based learning, cultivate students' abilities, and not judge heroes solely based on scores. If students truly have potential and abilities, they can continue their graduate studies without focusing solely on their grade point averages.
"There are significant differences between individuals, and there's diversity in society's demands for people. Not everyone needs to go to college or pursue a master's degree, but it seems like everyone treats it as a necessary path," says Mu Zhaohui. He points out that a diploma is just an external symbol, and what's more important is for everyone to find their own areas of strength.
Mu Zhaohui believes that an ideal university should provide personalized education based on students' growth and development, as well as the needs of their careers and life. In reality, most universities still primarily focus on students' academic course performance as the requirement for education, which is too simplistic.
"I think there are several important indicators of an ideal university life. Firstly, finding one's life goals and integrating one's strengths with the school's course resources. Secondly, being able to make genuine friends, which not only promotes mutual learning but also contributes to the formation of normal emotions and a healthy personality. Thirdly, and most crucially, forming a solid foundation for future careers," says Mu Zhaohui.
(Original Title: Understanding Education | What Does the Phenomenon of "Many Universities Sending Report Cards to Parents at the End of the Semester" Reflect?)
