 Premier keeps promise with Beichuan students
By Hu Yinan (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-02 07:38 Premier Wen Jiabao has kept the promise he made to students of Beichuan Middle School. Wen paid a surprise visit to the school in Mianyang, Sichuan province, on the first day of the new semester yesterday. His fourth visit to the school coincided with the 110th day of the May 12 earthquake that killed almost 70,000 people in Sichuan. With about 20,000 casualties, Mianyang was the worst quake-hit city. The Beichuan Middle School alone lost about 1,000 of its 2,793 students. On the first two occations, Wen visited the quake-ravaged school building. His third visit on May 23, however, was to electronics maker Changhong's training center, where students resumed classes in their temporary classrooms. He concluded his affectionate address by writing on the blackboard: "Trials and tribulations serve only to revitalize a nation", which has been preserved as a historic relic. He ended his visit by promising to be back. And he did exactly that yesterday. Addressing the opening ceremony of the new semester, he told the students that the day signified a new beginning in their lives, and praised them for their bravery after the quake. "Beichuan is back on its feet. Beichuan Middle School is back on its feet ... independently, bravely, determinedly The deadly earthquake has caused considerable damage to the people of Beichuan and teachers and students, and thrown a big challenge at us," he said. "We now understand one fact: one should face catastrophes with courage instead of fear. (With courage one is) bound to overcome disasters and gain a new life." Encouraging the students to continue their fight, he said: "If you ask me what we achieved from this calamity, I'd say a brighter future. Just as the sun will always rise, the future is forever bright. A nation's disaster will always be compensated by its progress. That compensation will be achieved by relying on youths and their arduous efforts." After admitting children from all over Beichuan's townships for months, the middle school now has about 3,100 students and 183 teachers and staff. It has waived tuition fees for all the students, and exempted the poor ones from paying boarding and food charges - or granted them concessional rates. Just like the children in the rest of the country, the 3.4 million students in Sichuan's quake-hit areas returned to school yesterday. About 33 percent of such students resumed classes in their original school buildings, 38 percent in repaired structures and the rest in makeshift classrooms, Tu Wentao, Sichuan provincial education chief, said. Xinhua contributed to the story (China Daily 09/02/2008 page1) |
