A drastic, central government-backed education reform will start moving through high schools in Guangdong in September.

Through the move -- which may be one of the biggest reform pushes since 1949 when the People's Republic of China was established -- students' academic achievements in Guangzhou, capital of the southern province of Guangdong, will be for the first time measured in credit hours. In addition, they will be allowed to select their own courses and class sizes will be slashed.

A new student appraisal system, known as the "growth record," will also be initiated.

Sources from the provincial education department say it is likely that in a couple of years, colleges in Guangdong will adjust requirements for undergraduate applicants and use the growth as a reference for making decisions about admissions.

The provincial reform, which seeks to evaluate student performance comprehensively, is regarded as comparable to education systems in Western countries such as the United States.

Gao Lingfeng, one of the top officials from the Institution Center of Basic Education and Courses at South China Normal University, said that in the future, even the grade point average (GPA) system will be introduced in Guangdong.

The students’growth records will be based mainly on grades, in addition to teachers' comments. Status will be declared in class each week, an unnamed teacher from the city's Zhixin Middle School told China Daily.

"It is hard for a teacher to treat a student unfairly under this rule," the teacher said. If a student thinks his or her record is unfair, it can be appealed.

The growth record is being introduced to improve the quality of education, which people have been demanding for many years.

Students' final results are expected to combine examination marks and growth record performance. The new education system is widely expected to lead to deepening reforms of teaching materials and courses.

Beginning in September, when the autumn 2004 semester starts, senior high school students in Guangdong will be able to choose their courses. According to the Courses Program for Senior High School, which has been approved by the Ministry of Education, classes will be grouped into required and elective courses.

When the students graduate, they must have 116 required credits and at least 28 elective credits.

In their elective courses, students will mix with people from different classes and even different grades, similar to the situation in colleges or universities.

Courses will also be divided into eight different fields, including linguistics and literature, and arts and sciences.

Traditionally, there are 40 or 50 students per class in a large high school and all of them study the same subjects at the same time.

But under the new system, no class will have more than 10 students.

Some students and their parents are concerned about choosing appropriate courses. Analysts pointed out that guidance will be provided once the elective system is introduced.

Gao Lingfeng told China Daily that high school teachers will also take on the role of counselor, providing advice to students on which courses they should take.

"Meanwhile, the education departments will publish guidelines for the students to help them make their choices," he said.

The new system was announced on Thursday to the grade three junior high school students in Guangzhou, who will be the only ones immediately affected.

An overwhelming majority of the students has welcomed the move.

The mother of one of the teenagers, surnamed Mo, said: "It is a positive step. My daughter can now spend more time on her favorite subject. Although I am worried that the growth could be a little bit unfair for certain students, as it may still be subjective."