Rural kids left behind by migrant parents should be given safety net

A police investigation into the deaths of two young girls in Hengyang in Central China's Hunan province has revealed one of their friends, a 12-year-old girl, poisoned them to death because of a small quarrel. All three girls were "left-behind children" whose parents work far away from home. Comments:

When parents work far away from home, schools and communities play more important roles in the lives of their children. However, the sad fact is that the State still fails to invest enough in rural schools. There are not enough professional teachers for rural schools, while counselors are totally unheard of. Worse, now county-level governments are trying to merge rural schools into fewer, bigger ones to save costs. Where is the hope for the 60 million children left behind?

Beijing News, June 17