China's attempt to free the school from having to sort and select people for the ‘better’ jobs in society, and its attempt to base that selection on other than academic criteria, did not have the results hoped for. Within the city schools, the students lost their motivation to learn and turned to rowdyism. In the operation of selecting people for further study and coveted jobs, there was much suspicion of nepotism and favouritism. However, in vocational schools prior to the Cultural Revolution, learning was linked directly with job placement and cut off from eligibility for university education. Even so, competition for admission was strong and the learning outcomes good.