"The sooner the better," goes an old adage. Parents across China have taken it literally to herd their children, who can hardly even walk, into private institutes to learn English in the hope that a refined knowledge of English and its skilled use would guarantee them a bright future.

Chinese people's obsession with education has compelled them to get their children admitted to preschools and institutes as early as possible despite the lack of evidence proving this to be an effective method. With many English-teaching institutes aiming to "catch' em young", it's highly likely that parents will soon get their children admitted to such institutes even before they are born.

Since Chinese people believe there has been a shift in the criteria for admission to high schools and colleges across the world from just test scores to all-around ability, they are even sending toddlers to institutes to learn English in the hope that they would be different from the crowd.

Little evidence is available to show the effectiveness of forcing infants into learning English, and not surprisingly many experts fear that the Chinese education system is burning itself out. But for now, it seems private institutes are reaping the harvest of Chinese parents' ignorance and desperation.

Grace Lu, via e-mail

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(China Daily 09/20/2012 page9)