Disappearing rural schools

One of the unexpected by-products of China's urbanization is the decline in rural schools over the past decade.

The impact cannot be underestimated as it concerns the future of millions of children.

From 2000 to 2010, 63 primary schools and three middle schools closed every day, partly due to school merging.

The number of rural students has also dropped to a 10-year low.

PKG

Tawan is a remote village in Luxi Town, eastern Jiangxi Province.

It's 20 km away from the town center, isolated by a mountain.

In 2001, the only school in the village was closed and children of 300 households had to climb over the mountain to get to the town school.

The closure made the pupils' journey to school farther and more expensive.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) WANG JIAFU, Head of Sanwan Teaching Center:

"At the beginning of each semester, parents have to rent houses in the town and carry daily necessities like quilts and cookers from homes to the rented houses. One of the parents stays in town to look after the kids. They spend an average of 8,000 to 9,000 yuan each year."

Villagers have long complained of the difficulty to get access to school.

In 2008, education authorities in the town set up Sanwan teaching center in Tawan Village.

The 57-year-old Wang Jiafu has became the only teacher at the center.

He's been teaching for 37 years and is going to retire.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) WANG JIAFU, Head of Sanwan Teaching Center:

"I've made a promise to parents. When I'm retired, I'll continue to work here as long as the children need me. I'll teach for at least three more years and I'll try my best. I'm also looking for young teachers who want to teach here."

Wang lives in the town. Everyday he rides a motorbike for an hour to the teaching center.

Now he teaches 11 pupils from the pre-school level to the third grade.

Almost all of them are left-behind children, whose parents are working outside in cities.

So Wang is not only a tutor, but also a care giver, a custodian.

In this region, nearly 100 pupils are studying at 10 teaching centers like this in Tawan Village.

But the centers only offer classes lower than the third grade.

Pupils have to go to the town school to continue their education.

The nine-year-old Xia Rui is studying at Luxi Town Center Primary School.

Xia came here when she finished her second grade at a teaching center.

She chose to board because her home is far away and transport is inconvenient.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) XIA RUI, Town primary school student:

"I have to wash clothes and make bed by myself. Sometimes I cannot wash them clean. I don't get along well with my roommates. They often scold me."

Xia has got used to the boarding life, but she misses home from time to time. She returns home once a week.

The Luxi Town Center Primary School is the largest school in the town with more than 1,000 pupils.

Some of them are transferred from teaching centers, like Xia Rui.

For these pupils, if not board, they have to live in a rented house nearby.

The 70-year-old Wang Degui is accompanying her two grandsons and three granddaughters studying in the town.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) WANG DEGUI, Grandparent:

"Our home is five kilometers away. There used to be a school, but it was closed, so kids have to come here all the way for school. I've accompanied them for six to seven years. We have to rent houses."

Parents and teachers say the merging of schools has integrated rural education resources, but made life difficult for many students and their parents.

In 2002, China urged rural schools to restructure or merge, to use resources better and distribute them more fairly.

According to a report by the 21st Century Education Research Institute, each hour, four rural schools disappeared. The number of students registered in rural primary schools decreased by more than 31 million, while that for the junior high schools plummeted by 16 million.

Most of them entered schools in towns or cities, or simply dropped out.

The Ministry of Education has recently announced a suspension of closing or merging rural schools and is reconsidering their layout in a more scientific manner.

The ministry asks local governments to work out plans of elementary and junior high schools in line with local conditions before June.

No closures or merges are allowed until a new plan comes out.