Soccer helps students aim for new goals

Rural pursuit

Li Quan is the principal at Zhalong Central School, where the 10 students received primary and junior high education. The 41-year-old has played soccer with the students for more than a decade, and he understands their dreams better than their parents do.

In July, he persuaded the students' families to allow them to take the exam again, promising to bear all the teenagers' study and daily expenses as they prepare for the test later this year.

"It would be a waste if they didn't go to college. I don't want them or me to have regrets. They are like my own children. Until they went to high school, they played soccer with me every day. I've seen them grow taller and become better," Li said.

Li grew up in downtown Qiqihar. After graduating from university, he started teaching Chinese at Zhalong Central School in 2004.

In 2007, although still a young teacher, he was elected principal by his colleagues. In fact, no one in the city wanted the position because the school was notorious for its poor teaching conditions and low graduation rates.

At that time, 40 percent of local students graduated from the junior school, and less than 30 percent went on to senior high schools, Li said. "It was common for students to skip classes and loaf about on the streets," he added.

He attributed their lifestyles to the lack of emphasis on education in the families of left-behind children－those whose parents have moved away in search of work, leaving the children in the care of older relatives－and the dilapidated conditions on campus.

Li dragged the truants back. To keep them in school and stop them from behaving badly, he didn't make them study in the classroom－instead, he made them play soccer with him.

Even though he teaches Chinese, Li is crazy about the game, and he believes children can also become addicted to it. "If they were asked to study, they would run away in a few days," he said.

Gao said: "I got sleepy when I opened books. I hated math, especially. As soon as I arrived at school, I wanted to play soccer." His talent made him a star at school. "It felt great when we scored and everyone cheered," he said.