"新城市贫民":留学热的代价

Differences in quality
教育质量差异

After graduating from the university in Guangdong, Wang Jianhai was sent to Texas to get a master's degree, which his family believed would give him an edge in the job market.
王建海（音译）从广东一所大学毕业后，就被送去美国德克萨斯州攻读硕士学位。他的家人坚信这会为他将来就业提供优势。

His father worked at an electronics factory and earned more than 10,000 yuan a month, so the adventure was not a great financial burden. However, after his return, 26-year-old Wang was no better prepared to find work.
王建海的父亲在一家电子工厂上班，月收入一万元，所以送孩子出国留学这一险招并不会带来太大经济负担。但回国后，26岁的王建海在求职时可以说毫无准备。

Even his English skills had not improved, he said, as "we stayed with other Asians most of the time".
甚至就连他的英文水平也没有进步。王建海称，这是因为自己大多数时间都会和亚洲人呆在一起。

Eventually, his parents had to invest more money to help their only son eke out a meager living by running his own electronics store.
最终，王建海的父母不得不再次掏腰包资助儿子开了家电器商店，勉强维持生计。

"He hasn't earned a penny back for us, even though we've taken care of him for 26 years, while other people his age might have earned more than 200,000 yuan by now," said his 66-year-old father.
王建海66岁的父亲表示：“尽管他们抚养了王建海26年，但王建海没有为他们挣回一分钱，而其他很多同龄孩子现在可能已经赚了二十万元了。”

"We could have had a decent life after retirement with our savings, but now we've painted ourselves into a tight corner," he added bitterly.
他苦涩地补充道：“我们本可以靠着自己的积蓄在退休以后过上份舒适体面的生活，但现在我们深陷困境，自讨苦吃。”

Although parents see an overseas education as a shortcut to success, experts argue that very few truly understand the vast differences in quality that exist among colleges in developed nations.
尽管家长们将出国留学视为一条成功的捷径，但有关专家称，很少有家长真正了解众多发达国家大学在教育质量上存在巨大差异这一事实。

Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Renmin University of China, said everybody knows Chinese parents are willing to spend money on their children, but he warned that those looking to benefit today are largely "second- and third-rate colleges that don't offer scholarships or subsidies".
中国人大社会学教授周孝正（音译）表示，中国家长愿意为孩子花钱这是众所周知的事，但他也提醒说，当下那些利益为先的院校大多都是二三流的学校，它们既不提供奖学金也没有补助。

Parents need to be reasonable, he said, as well as "clear about what they expect from the study period mental development or practical skills".
周孝正称，家长们需要放理智，并且弄清楚自己究竟想让子女在留学期间的收获些什么，是心智的成长还是实用技能的培养。