Village schools are irreplaceable

A research report into the education resource allocations in rural China found that from 2000 to 2010, an average of 63 primary schools, 30 teaching sites and three junior middle schools disappear every day in Chinese villages.

The vanishing schools are due to a strategy streamlining rural education units, a response to the decline of the school-aged population nationwide.

The rural population is increasingly feeling the strategy's side effects. Children in villages must travel a long distance to reach schools in towns or counties. More children have dropped out of schools in the past four years than before because of the inconvenience and heavy economic burden it places on their families.

The average distance from home to school is 5.4 km for rural primary school students and 17.5 km for middle school students in the village. For this reason the State Council halted the streamlining strategy, which had been in place for more than 10 years, after discovering its negative effects.

The strategy, intended to concentrate quality education resources, does not give proper consideration to rural children. It used to be convenient for them to go the village schools. Some local governments also took advantage of this strategy to shirk off the financial burden of the weak village schools, despite their importance to local children.

This reform was carried out in a sweeping approach and failed to take into account the different conditions and needs of children in different areas.

Future education reform should take lessons from this failed strategy. The ultimate goal of all policies is to serve the people's interests.

More than 52.1 percent of primary schools in rural areas that existed 10 years ago in China have now closed. The authority should take necessary measures to heal the undesired consequences of this misstep.

Historical experience indicates it is necessary to ensure each village has its own schools, which is required by not only the practical needs of education, but also the villagers. These schools, though small and weak, can spark common villagers' interests in education and culture, which is of vital importance for the passing down of traditions and spread of culture at the grassroots of Chinese society.

Translated by Li Yang from Beijing Youth Daily