Having completed the fourth standard it was typical for children, at age 11 from 1900-1930, to leave school numerate and literate. Secondary education became free and compulsory for two years from about 1936 for the British Empire. The initial Acts of parliament, of the House of Commons (London) prescribed education to be compulsory, secular and free but only for primary-standard education and this aspect continued across the Empire. The system was far from perfect but the system of standards (to be attained each year) was effective and measurable. From the early 1980s the effectiveness of education within the English-speaking West declined in large measure.

从1900年到1930年，11岁的孩子通常会离开学校，完成第四阶段的算术和识字。大约从1936年起，中等教育成为两年的免费义务教育。大英帝国议会和下议院（伦敦）的最初法案规定教育是义务的、长期的和免费的，但只适用于初级标准教育，这个法案在整个帝国实行。该体系远非完美，但（每年要达到的）标准体系是有效的和可量化的。从20世纪80年代初开始，西方英语国家的教育效果大幅下降。

Nowadays, from the year 2000, it is entirely possible for a student in the English-speaking world to complete primary school (age 12-13) and remain only semi-literate or barely literate and numerate. This condition can continue through the highschool years for a given student. As conveyed, half a century ago, for New Zealand, Australia and the USA such a situation would have been the exception. In the case of Australia all State departments of education recognise the (so called) "Crisis of Literacy". A recent report from the Grattan Institute shows that a third of Australian children cannot read proficiently1. A google search of "crisis of literacy [country]" will yield similar results. By comparison "The People's Republic of China's overall literacy rate reached 99.8% in 2021. Adult literacy in China, defined as literacy in those aged 15 and above was measured at 97% in 2020 by the World Bank. Youth literacy, defined as literacy in those aged 15-24, was 100% since 2010 and remained so in 20202".

如今，从2000年开始，英语国家的学生完全有可能完成小学学业（12-13岁），却仍然只有半文盲或几乎不会识字和算术。对于一个特定学生来说，这种情况可以持续到高中学段。据报道，半个世纪前，对于新西兰、澳大利亚和美国来说，这种情况是例外。就澳大利亚而言，所有州的教育部门都认识到了（所谓的）“识字危机”。格拉顿研究所最近的一份报告显示，三分之一的澳大利亚儿童不能熟练阅读。在谷歌上搜索“文学危机【国家】”会得到类似的结果。相比之下，“中华人民共和国的总体识字率在2021年达到99.8%。世界银行测量的中国成人识字率，定义为15岁及以上人群的识字率，在2020年为97%。青年识字率，定义为15-24岁人群的识字率，自2010年以来为100%，并在2020年保持不变”.

Some Comparisons 中西方对比

It is said with some justification that Asian students are passive learners3.By utilising the word 'passive'it is intended to convey that lessons are teacher-centred (or teacher-directed). Asian students typically do not ask questions in class although as their confidence with the teacher and subject increases the students do often become more forthright. Alternatively, it is often said that Western education promotes critical thinking4 . Yet, it is far from apparent that critical thinking is a Western concept5.

我们说亚洲学生是被动学习者，这是有道理的。通过使用“被动”这个词，旨在传达课程是以教师为中心的（或教师指导的）。亚洲学生通常不会在在课堂上提问问题，虽然随着他们对老师和学科的信心的增加，学生们确实经常变得更加直率。或者，人们常说西方教育提倡批判性思维。然而，批判性思维是一个西方概念还远不明显。

Relating passive attitudes to Confucianism would take this paper too far afield but Asian classroom behaviour, from South Korea to Malaysia does seem to have some basis as Kang & Chang (2016) illustrate. Nevertheless a few remarks are warranted.