Old saying shows route to defeat poverty

BEIJING－There is an old Chinese saying: "Give people fish and you only provide them with one meal; teach them to fish and they can benefit throughout their lives." This lesson has been passed down from generation to generation and has played an important role in the anti-poverty war and rural revitalization in China.

This term expresses the idea that rather than giving something away, it is better to teach the method of obtaining it so that people can get what they need through their own effort.

Shenzhen Polytechnic, in South China's Guangdong province, is an excellent example of teaching people "how to fish".

In 2016, the polytechnic started to offer vocational training to villagers living in poverty in Xiajian village, Guangdong, a mountainous village that had a small amount of arable land and no industry. Most villagers there had no special skills, so they had to find low-paid menial work far from their hometown.

Currently in Xiajian village, more than 430 people have completed training programs, including automobile maintenance, electrical work and passion fruit cultivation. Through the training, villagers have become skilled workers and have seen their incomes double.

"With the help of the vocational college, my hometown has undergone enormous changes. The villagers have become more confident and have better lives as they master new skills," says Huang Lisi, whose family was mired in poverty before she received her training.

Over the past two decades, the polytechnic has partnered with nearly 40 vocational colleges across 13 provinces to assist in vocational education, which has benefited even more rural residents.

"Focusing on operational skills and practical ability, the employment-oriented vocational education is used to teach people to fish," says Xu Jianling, principal of Shenzhen Polytechnic.

"Vocational education enables me to own a skill, helps me find a proper job, and increases my family's income," says Tang Xuemei, a student at Shenzhen Polytechnic, adding that she wants to go back to her hometown to be a vocational college teacher after graduation and provide more opportunities for her fellow villagers.

Xinhua