The true face of China's education is shrouded in mystery. But the one certainty is that our heads should not be turned by the good results our teenagers collected from the Program for International Student Assessment.

The program, administered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, found that Chinese teenagers were ahead of their peers from 64 countries and regions in terms of reading literacy, mathematics and science.

However, the fulsome compliments for Chinese students' high grades are not necessarily justification for us to glorify our education.

A global survey of teenagers worldwide in November ranked Chinese students at the bottom when it comes to applying creativity and imagination.

The results of both the program and the survey reflect the true qualities of our teenage students and the nation's education.

Our high-school students deliver good scores at International Olympiads, which are held every year in math, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and junior science. Nearly every Chinese student participating in the competitions brings home a medal.

But we should not become complacent. The mixed results from the tests, competitions and surveys all over the world remind us of the flaws in our education system.

China's education stresses textbook knowledge rather than a fundamental understanding of subjects. Both teachers and parents look at education with an eye on fame and success. For them, a successful education means entering a prestigious school and getting high grades in tests, while neglecting the fact that education also plays a crucial role in nurturing a healthy and complete personality.

Most of our students have to burn the midnight oil to deal with their homework. Also, Chinese parents pressure their children too much by sending them to various after-school classes.

A report from the Asia Society some years ago compared K-12 education in China and the United States. Not only do the Chinese set higher standards (to graduate from high school, students must complete biology, chemistry, physics, algebra and geometry), but also the Chinese school year is a month longer. When regular school time is combined with homework, Chinese students spend twice as much time on studying.

The just-released Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education in the United States reveals that China is the largest source of overseas students in the US. Nearly 128,000 students from China studied in the US in 2009-2010, an impressive 30 percent increase on the previous year.

But these Chinese students are hardly representative of all of China, as they are from cities that have the top schools and teachers.

In two decades of pushing for universal education and higher standards, China now produces students of academic merit. But it still has a long way to go to deliver quality education to all children, especially in rural areas.

China Daily