Gu Mingyuan, president of the Chinese Society of Education, announced to the media on Saturday that China will adopt a new plan for the national college entrance examination, or gaokao. The grade for Chinese and mathematics will be raised and English will no longer be a compulsory element of gaokao from 2017. English will not be removed from gaokao, he said, but English test will be held throughout the year by other institutions in which high school students can participate.

The news seems more thorough than public opinion anticipated regarding the reform plan for gaokao subjects, eliciting broad discussion. Suffice it to say, learning English has long involved all of Chinese society and so this reform will inevitably stir up changes within a larger scope.

Those who oppose the reform doubt its fairness or claim that it may be ineffective at encouraging students to study the Chinese language and traditional culture as well as relieve their burden. Still others worry that it risks denting China's opening-up efforts and sends a negative signal to the world.

China's English education is an integrated system and reform is bound to readjust this system and in particular touch some interest groups. Hence it is normal to meet objections. This reform is a macro educational adjustment and we should take a holistic view to evaluate its advantages and disadvantages.

Generations of students and society as a whole have paid a heavy price for the college entrance exam. Exam-oriented education has gone to the extreme. Reform has to strike a balance between ensuring the fairness of the exam and improving educational quality. But it is difficult to maintain a perfect balance between the two goals.

Reform of the English test in gaokao is the result of compromise, but it won't alter the core of the college entrance exam. Pressure for learning English has extended the length of time spent on studying by students, starting at kindergarten for many children. Reform of the English test is expected to affect other issues in China's basic education. It should be supported and encouraged.

A few worry that reform of the English test may create more unfairness in the education sector. That might be possible, but it only mirrors the whole picture of unfairness in Chinese society. Kids from rich families enjoy better resources in many sectors. We don't need to single out their English learning advantage to disapprove of the necessity of reforming the English test.

The reform will empower public institutions to run English tests for high school students. Whether it will uphold the principle of fairness is no doubt an issue of concern.

We hope the government will make full preparations. Reform of the English test is a big issue in overall Chinese educational reform. Its success will have wide significance.