Ethnic Yi students gather for a meeting at Central Primary School in Haluo town in Sichuan province's Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture.

A BOXING CLUB IN CHENGDU in Southwest China's Sichuan province has reportedly adopted over 400 orphans and left-behind children and is training them to be fighters. Changjiang Daily commented on Thursday:

Some agree with the owner who says that the unattended kids are better off at the club as they at least have enough "beef and eggs" rather than tasteless "potatoes" on their plate.

But in truth, that argument does not hold up because there is always a third option for the children besides literally fighting for a living or starving at home, and that is official assistance. The local authorities in the kids' hometowns have a duty to support the children and ensure they are properly educated, fed and cared for.

The education officials in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, which is home to some of the young fighters at the Chengdu club, said they will get the youngsters back into school where they belong. But the youngsters may refuse to go home, as other rescued parentless or left-behind kids from the prefecture have done over the past decade.

Asked about why they do not want to go home or go to school, some of the children replied that working or fighting is a better choice because they will at least have some money and proper food. Similar answers to that question are usually the response given by orphans and guardianless children in rural China, highlighting the need for more effective government efforts to take care of unattended youths.

The Liangshan education authorities were among the first to respond to the reports of the underage fight club. But just getting the kids back will not be enough to make them stay.