How Should We Reward A Hero?

Liu Yanbing is a senior middle school student in south Chinas Jiangxi Province， who was on track to take this years June college entrance examination. On May 31， a man wielding a kitchen knife began to attack passengers on the bus he took from Yichun City to Jinrui Town， ultimately injuring five people. Liu risked his life to subdue the attacker and grabbed the knife to prevent more injuries. Unfortunately， Lius head and shoulders were extensively cut. Due to the heavy injuries， Liu missed this years college entrance examination， or gaokao， which is considered a major turning point in a students future.

Lius brave deed has been greatly lauded. Education authorities in Jiangxi Province organized a separate college entrance exam for him and another injured student in the incident. Two local universities have already extended an olive branch， offering spots at their schools. Even Chinas prestigious Tsinghua University has given Liu the chance to attend the universitys independent recruitment program if his grades from the catch-up exam reach his hometowns first standard score.

However， the question stands： Should any student of any talent who performs a heroic act be rewarded with special placement in the nations most competitive universities？

Zhu Xiaolong （www.szgm.edu.cn）： The olive branches offered by these colleges show societys respect of the students feat， and people hope he will be rewarded for his great deed. However， he may need time to relax and get back to a normal mindset. Liu is undoubtedly in a complicated state； he hopes that a good university will recruit him because of academic capability， not because of his actions.

Even if he is helped into a university due to his exemplary heroic deeds， not his educational achievements alone， is this not still acceptable？

In recent years， all-round education has been extensively promoted by academic authorities， with morality being an important part of the overall schooling system. A student of high virtue will bring glory and respect to any university that recruits him.

Of course， any student may also reserve the right to refuse the offers from these universities. Liu has the right to decline help and take part in a fair gaokao. Even if he can only attend a common university， he can still feel confident and comfortable with his decision. Either way， he has done the right thing.

Deng Haijian （www.people.cn）： This students heroic deed is extremely valuable when shone against todays moral backdrop. Traditional standards are facing challenges and many unethical things， including stabbings， are happening around us. At this moment， more heroic feats and role models are sorely needed.endprint

When principled， noble traits win respect and rewards， this will in turn encourage more people to follow suit， thus positively impacting society as a whole. In some other countries， a heightened sense of ethic is already listed among the merits to be considered when a university enrolls new students. Give Liu a chance to take the college entrance examination separately and let him be a victor for his heroic deed， not a victim.

Xu Qizhi （Hebei Daily）： The aim of higher education lies not only in the imparting of knowledge， but in the making of responsible citizens in society. While most students sit quietly in classrooms， taking the annual college entrance examination based solely on knowledge， on that bus Liu Yanbing took an entirely different test on morality.

Chinese society needs more good Samaritans like Liu， who are willing to risk their own lives for the safety of others. Offer help， and maybe youll be helped the next time you are in need. The positive impact of Lius heroic deed is immeasurable.

Education authorities have already arranged a separate examination for Liu， which not only takes some of the stress off of him but garners public approval. Meanwhile， several universities have extended offers， which are a confirmation of his performance in moral aptitude. All the praises and rewards Liu is receiving show societys appreciation for justice and order.

Xian Jiaoping （www.sohu.com）： Some believe that Liu Yanbing should be sent to university without taking the gaokao. After all， in the face of an extremely dangerous situation， this young student saved many lives by risking his own. Thus， it would seem that any rewards he receives will never be sufficient.

Meanwhile， others believe that while heroic actions are one thing， whether or not Liu should go to a favorable college because of them is another. From the moral perspective， Liu has already passed a very important examination and achieved a high score in aptitude. He deserves to be rewarded for his good deed and ethics. However， when it comes to the college entrance examination， there are different rules one must follow—the gaokao is designed to help colleges choose the best students that meet their academic standards. The education authorities decision to arrange a separate gaokao for him is proper， as direct recruitment by a good college would be unfair to other students who still have to compete fiercely with others. Perhaps Liu will also feel more comfortable that way.endprint

Thus， the two prevailing opinions on the matter both seem reasonable.

Take into account， though， that today， Chinas college entrance examination is expected to achieve two goals： First， to separate out the elite and talented students based on their academic performance and capability； second， to give those capable students in lower socioeconomic classes the chance to rise higher. In accordance with the first mission， if the young hero is given a pass for his academic achievements because of his laudable deed， its unreasonable and also unfair to other gaokao participants.

Liu has set a good moral example to students across the country， and should therefore be compensated for the pain he suffered and his contribution to society. However， as for exactly how to compensate him， there should be more prudent ways—particularly when it comes to things like college and future employment—that dont involve such highly competitive elements. If， in order to encourage a certain behavior， these competitive tests are involved as rewards， the final result may be the opposite of what was expected.

Li Shaoqiang （Beijing Youth Daily）： Having access to such definable things， like economic growth or scientific and technological progress in society， does not mean we can ignore more intangible human advancements like heightened morality and bravery. Ethical traits are always valuable in all walks of life. Individuals can only achieve a high level of personal development through the continued improvement of their moral standards.

These days， people tend to value material benefits over ethical traits. For most senior middle school students， to get a high score on the gaokao is the highest possible goal. Lius behavior tells us that apart from academic performance， ones sense of right and wrong also matters. The latter is an integral foundation for an individual and societys progress as a whole.

Mao Jianguo （Legal Daily）： To reward a student for his heroic deeds will encourage more people to follow suit. The gaokao has always played the role of the baton， encouraging people to achieve high academic success， and nowadays， the test is also expected to act as a guiding light when it comes to improving ethical standards. To generously reward this young man by offering him opportunities to enter good universities will encourage more people to behave similarly in dangerous situations.

Some worry that if Liu Yanbing is given easy access to good universities for acting as a good Samaritan， though， the equality and solemnity of the college entrance examination will be adversely affected. Currently， students can be awarded extra points in the college entrance examination if they do especially well in certain areas， like sports or the sciences. If one student can benefit from exceptional athleticism， why cant another receive extra points for courageousness？

To recruit Liu into Tsinghua University may be a stretch， as this is Chinas top university and enrolls only the highest echelon of academics. Therefore， its necessary to work out an explicit outline for the future in which students will be given extra points at different levels based on clear indexes. At that time， as for how to reward a students especially heroic deeds， there will be a clear system. Not only those in the media spotlight will be rewarded， but all students who have made extensive efforts in a particular field will be given the extra points they deserve.endprint