Rural teachers make the grade
Power of learning
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Children are fascinated when Chen Shihua show them a computer. [Photo by Hu Yongqi/China Daily] |
As the sun rises over the Longjia village, children march in line on their way to school. Some students living far away get up before 5 am to be in their seats when classes start at 8 am. When school begins, the small, heavily wooded area becomes alive with the voices of young students.
It takes five hours by bus to travel from the provincial capital Kunming to Huize's county seat, and it is another 100-km trip to the village. On a sunny day, it takes four hours if one is lucky enough to catch the only bus that runs daily. Most residents have to resort to walking, and the trip takes at least a day.
The section of the road from the county seat to the township government of Zhichang twists up to the mountaintop and then winds down. From the township government to the village, the 7-km stretch of highway is a nightmare for most. When the reporter arrived on Sept 18, the shaking bus made some passengers vomit though the road conditions were good and the weather pleasant.
The backward transportation conditions in the region have long been an obstacle on the path to prosperity for locals. Long Yongzheng's father did not follow other villagers, who migrated to cities in search of work. He chose to stay home to take care of his two boys and found himself in dire financial straits as a result.
Lasting poverty deprives village kids of any access to the Internet or television programs in some families. So the courses offered at the school have become a vital channel through which students learn about the outside world. In Long's home, the most valuable item is a gas stove, which is rarely used. Long and his father usually cook their dinner over a fire kindled by pieces of wood, and the smoke has blackened the wall above the fire pit.
No matter how hard life is, the thirst for knowledge remains, said Xing Jinzheng, who joined the school last year as the youngest teacher. His desire to teach at the rural school originates from the educational challenges he faced growing up, he said.
"I was raised by my father alone after my mother's passing. But my father remained determined that he would cover the cost for all of us to attend university if we wanted to even though we did not have enough money. I was the only one of four siblings to go to college," said Xing.
"Therefore, I wanted to come home to pass down what I have learned to the younger generations."
Living far from school in the village of Luobiegu, Xing gets up at 4:30 am and heads for work in total darkness with only a homemade pinewood torch to guide his way.
"The torch usually burns out by the time I catch up to the nearest students. Then we yell to other students and a long line of torches forms on the way," said Xing.
He said a teacher's task is not only to impart knowledge but also to make his students' childhood a happy one.
Liu Shunyue, headmaster of the Longjiacun Primary School, said: "Most of the students are living with their grandparents and about half of the families have difficulty affording the daily expenses at school. Education might be one of the few chances for the kids to change their fate."
With the common experience of growing up in the rural villages, the seven teachers say they know the significance of learning and going to college.
The difference education makes is evident in the lives of Xing and his three siblings. His education has created many opportunities for him, he said. Before coming to Longjiacun Primary School, he had the chance to work in Mengzi, capital of Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture, where he could be well paid. However, with only a basic education, his sisters and a brother do menial jobs - one is a construction worker and the other two are salespeople in supermarkets.
Liu said: "Because we had a tough childhood, we want the kids to have a better education and life through our instruction. That is the ultimate purpose for all the young teachers."
