Students from a high school participate in a fun sports event, allowing them to relax and exercise while preparing for the college entrance examination, or gaokao, in Hohhot, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on May 13, 2024. This year's gaokao is set to kick off on June 7. Photo: IC

China's authorities have introduced multiple measures covering sectors such as transportation and medical care to ensure the smooth progress of the annual national college entrance examinations, or gaokao, one of the most important exams for Chinese students, which will kick off on Friday.  

According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), a total of 13.42 million students have registered for this year's gaokao, an increase of 510,000 students from 2023.

The MOE and relevant departments have deployed efforts to strengthen services in accommodation, noise control, and other sectors, and provide convenience for special needs groups such as people with disabilities during exams. Additionally, relevant departments should make preparations in case of extreme weather and natural disasters, the MOE noted.

The MOE advised candidates to carefully read and follow exam instructions, bring necessary documents and tools, confirm details, and avoid bringing prohibited items such as mobile phones into the exam room.

Meanwhile, a number of high-tech measures are also being used to ensure fairness and safety during the exams. In late May, China Post ensured the safe transport of college entrance examination papers with police protection, as well as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System tracking. Special green trucks equipped with cameras were used for constant monitoring, and intelligent tracking systems were used to send real-time feedback during the journey to guarantee the security of the examination papers, according to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.

Beijing has enhanced its intelligent inspection system for the gaokao. The video monitoring recognition will now be more sensitive, able to detect subtle actions such as turning heads, bending over to pick up items, and communication between invigilators and students. The system can promptly identify any suspected violations by examinees, the city's education commission announced.

Many cities have upgraded security checks for gaokao. For example, all 402 examination centers in East China's Zhejiang Province implemented standardized management, equipped with intelligent security gates and metal detectors, and have full coverage of wireless signal shielding. Video surveillance covers the entire exam room and the entire exam process, to prevent cheating and misconduct, according to the Zhejiang authorities on Thursday.

In East China's Jiangxi Province, a total of 642,100 students have registered for gaokao. There are 276 examination centers and 19,639 examination rooms across the province, which are well prepared, according to provincial authorities.

In Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, relevant departments including public security, housing construction have formulated corresponding security work plans. Shenzhen traffic police have established emergency response teams, cracking down on illegal use of horns by motor vehicles.

Schools across the country are organizing various activities to help students deal with stress, such as providing beverages, singing songs, playing games, sending blessings for the students. Almost a week before gaokao, students attended classes where teachers answered their questions and students could arrange their study time on their own, a high school teacher surnamed Yang told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Since there have been mock exams, I have a general idea of my daughter's performance level. I am not particularly nervous. I have not put too much pressure on my child, just encouraging her to do her best and trying to reduce her stress as much as possible," a parent living in Shanghai who preferred to be unnamed, told the Global Times on Thursday. He said that he would accompany his daughter during the exams.