The market for studying abroad at a young age is chaotic.
In the eyes of many parents, it is their childhood dream to go abroad to go to college, have a look and feel the advanced education in the West. Now that we have economic conditions, parents hope that their dreams can be realized for their children. Under such market psychological demand, various kinds of study abroad programs are blooming everywhere, and the number of participants is soaring year by year. However, behind the attractive advertisements is the chaos in the overseas study tour market.
The reporter learned from a number of study abroad and language training institutions that, unlike the popular routes occupied by the United States, Britain and Australia in previous years, the difficulty and risk of applying for studying in Britain have increased due to the influence of the London Olympic Games this year. This year's travel registration is concentrated in the United States, Australia, Japan and other routes. In the registration list, "after 00" has become an emerging force. In mid-August, there were 14 children born after 2000 in a group of 20 people in the list of study tours of an overseas institution. Surprisingly, in a training institution, the reporter even saw a study tour program for kindergarten children. The destination is Australia, 8 days, 40 thousand yuan. "The main thing is to let children study and play with children in local kindergartens." The staff introduced, "You can also go to the farm to milk and shear wool." What can such a young child learn? The staff explained that being in a different cultural environment and experiencing local folk customs is a brand-new learning process.
Huang Xiaoqiong is the manager of overseas travel routes in a Shanghai travel agency. According to her, the study tour craze almost started in 2005 and 2006. At that time, there were few routes, and the United States, Canada and Australia were the three places that were visited more. Later, everyone thought that the profit rate of study tour was higher than that of ordinary routes, and there was a big market. These two years have been in a blowout state. With the refinement of the market, the main consumer groups of study tours have gradually shifted from undergraduates to middle school students, primary school students and even kindergartens. Because of the huge profit margin hidden behind international study tour, many primary and secondary schools, study abroad institutions, consulting companies and even enterprises have begun to join the team of study tour groups. "At present, there are no laws or decrees clearly restricting the supervision of the establishment of study tours in China, which means that the entry threshold is low and the market is disorderly. Many travel agencies are not certified, and even some intermediaries are not registered in the industrial and commercial departments. " Huang Xiaoqiong said.
Zhang Minghong, a professor at East China Normal University, believes that the original intention of studying abroad is good, but we must be cautious about being younger. Children below high school have not yet formed their outlook on life, world outlook and values, and their ability to live independently is also lacking, and their communication ability and social adaptability are poor. When a person travels abroad, once the novelty is over, it is easy to produce certain negative emotions psychologically and physically. In the end, there are even phenomena such as unintentional study and crying to go home, which is counterproductive. On the other hand, children in this age group have limited observation and absorption ability, and their capture of foreign cultures may not be as keen as their parents think. The contact of "a glimpse" may not have a far-reaching impact on children in the future.