Summer tutoring program offers path to better life for Fujian village children

For Chen Yaowen, a first-grade pupil in Xiaqi village in Fu'an, East China's Fujian province, this year's summer vacation is no longer all about roaming around without doing his daily homework on time.

Every morning, his father will bring him to an off-campus class set up in the village committee's office building, where he will spend several hours with other Xiaqi pupils doing their homework, listening to stories and singing songs accompanied by several volunteer teachers.

"I like to be here because I can enjoy the air-conditioner and play with other kids," the nine-year-old said.

The class, which started this year, is a pilot project funded by the government in an effort to provide off-campus tutoring services for the village's children, especially elementary school students.

Xiaqi used to be a poverty-stricken fishing village whose residents lived on sampans. Thanks to the country's resettlement program, almost all of Xiaqi's boat dwellers moved to new homes on land from 1997 to 1999. By 2017, all poverty-stricken households in Xiaqi had been lifted out of poverty.

"Pupils can come here as long as they wish. It's free of charge," said Guo Fang, one of the teachers with the class.