I believe it's meant to disparage a bureaucratic, technocratic academy, in the sense of "you must jump through these hoops and pass these examinations to join t

I believe it's meant to disparage a bureaucratic, technocratic academy, in the sense of "you must jump through these hoops and pass these examinations to join the leadership / professoriate, regardless of your actual abilities." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_(bureaucrat) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_(bureaucrat)