Hong Kong

While Hong Kong's society, economy, culture, and parents all value education, its government spends little on education, and few students attend college, when compared to most developed countries. Parents choose from a variety of schools for their children and increasingly participate in school as school reforms reduce its hierarchical nature. During two decades of school reforms, student performance on international tests on mathematics, reading, and science have gradually risen to the top 10 percent of participating countries and regions. Grounded in government exams, collectivist beliefs, and economic rewards, Chinese people have traditionally supported children's education. The Keju civil service exam system from 606 to 1905 not only selected mainland China's government officials, but also gave financial rewards, prestige, power, and fame to their extended family, ...