Rural residents top priority for social aid

REPORTS OF A 20-YEAR-OLD STUDENT IN CHENGDU, Southwest China's Sichuan province, who looks after her 93-year-old grandmother on her own when not in class, have given rise to heated a debate over the country's social security system. Guangzhou Daily commented on Wednesday:

It is a sad story that the Chengdu student had to take care of her aged, immobile grandmother after the student lost her father four months ago. But her strong will and filial piety have made it less heartbreaking, especially as she has refused to take donations from good Samaritans because her part-time salary covers most of the daily costs.

Touching as her story is, it warrants deeper reflection on what has gone wrong in the social security system, which has failed to offer proper assistance to her family. Instant media coverage and people's subsequent voluntary donations are not enough to ease the hardships that many embattled families are going through.