High-scoring students in several provinces in China have been forced to apply for a top medical institute as their enrollment in such a prestigious institution can raise the high schools’ publicity.

　　中国几个省份的高分考生被迫报考顶尖医学院，因为他们被这样一所久负盛名的学府录取能够提高高中的知名度。

　　According to a report by the Global Times on July 9, some high schools in central and southeastern China have allegedly forced high achievers in the National Higher Education Entrance Examination (gaokao) to apply for Peking University Health Science Center, one of the top medical schools in China, in an effort to enhance their own prestige.

　　据《环球时报》7月9日报道，为了提高声誉，中国中部和东南部一些高中强制高考高分考生报考中国顶尖医学院之一北京大学医学部。

　　“The reputation of Peking University is very important for our school. Students would fail to show their support if they don’t apply for the Peking University Health Science Center,” an anonymous high school principal told the Global Times.

　　一名匿名的高中校长向《环球时报》表示：“对于我们学校而言，北京大学的声誉相当重要。如果学考生不报考北京大学医学部，那么他们就是不支持学校。”

　　According to the report, the principal obtained the usernames and passwords of high-scoring students to fill out their application forms in the online application system without their approval.

　　据报道，校长未经考生同意就获取高分考生用户名和密码给他们填报志愿表。

　　Such incidents have happened nationwide. According to a university staff member who is in charge of student enrollment, a local high school forced over 20 high-scoring students to apply for the Peking University Health Science Center in 2016. The school even detained a student for six hours in an effort to persuade him to give up his own choice of schools.

　　这种事情全国都有发生。据一名管理学生录取的大学职员介绍，一所地方高中曾在2016年强制20余名高分考生报考北京大学医学部。为了说服考生放弃自己的选择，学校甚至扣留他们六个小时。

　　The incident quickly went viral online, stirring up a heated public debate. Official media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency and China Youth Daily, have condemned the practice, calling it a violation of freedom.

　　这一事件迅速在网上疯传，引起了公众热议。包括新华通讯社和《中国青年报》在内的官方媒体都谴责了这一做法，称其侵犯自由。

　　“The reason why those high-scoring students were forced to apply for the health science center is that the institute is affiliated with Peking University, one of China’s most prestigious universities. High schools are rewarded by local educational authorities based on the number of their students enrolled in such schools,” an expert told the Global Times, adding that a high school will attract more top-notch students if its graduates land place at one of China’s best universities.

　　一名专家向《环球时报》说道：“这些高分考生被强制报考北京大学医学部的原因是，它附属于中国最负盛名大学之一的北京大学。基于被这类学校录取的名额，地方教育部门会奖励高中。”他还补充道，如果一所高中的毕业生被中国最好的大学录取，那么它就能够吸引更多尖子生。

　　“In China, most high-scoring students don’t want to study medicine, thus the admission requirement for medical students is relatively low. If you want to be accepted by Peking University, attending the health science center might be a shortcut,” said an anonymous student from the center.

　　北大医学部一名学生指出：“在中国，大部分高分考生不想学医，因此医学生的录取要求相对较低。如果你想被北京大学录取，进入医学部就可能是一个捷径。”

　　The Peking University Health Science Center could not be reached for comment and educational authorities have not released any official response.

　　目前尚未联系上北京大学医学部对此作出评论，教育部门也未发布任何官方回应。