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JILIN, China: China has been doing more to improve education in its vast rural areas. However, the sheer size of the country means that foreign donors, who raise funds for rebuilding of schools, are often needed and appreciated.
"In the past, our school building was old and rundown; our field was small and narrow. But now our new school has been built with love, and rural children can experience the same joys as urban children under the same blue skies," said two students of Nanxiangshui elementary school in a thank-you speech to foreign donors.
A parent, Liu Shaoqing, said: "My child enjoys coming to school now. He tells me that in the past, the windows cannot be opened in summer, while cold air seeped into the classrooms in winter."
The new building of Nanxiangshui elementary school in Yongji County at Jilin province is even equipped with brand new computers, a luxury by rural standards.
A fifth-grader, Cui Haining, said: "I want to learn to type fast, so that later on I can type without looking at the keyboard."
Over the years, Beijing has poured more resources into rural education, seeing it as a means to lift rural dwellers out of poverty.
However, despite attempts by the Chinese authorities to improve the overall level of education in China's vast rural areas, there is still a yawning gap between opportunities for rural and urban children.
According to one estimate, the amount it takes to educate a child in cosmopolitan Shanghai is almost 50 times of what it takes to educate a child in the rural area.
Local and international non-government organizations have attempted to fill the gap.
"There were many schools that needed to be rebuilt, but among those, we chose those that were in a dangerous condition, what they called... dangerous buildings, so that we get to make the biggest difference," said a member of the Singapore Shanghai Business Association, Yue Tong Mui.
The association raised a million yuan to rebuild three elementary schools in Jilin province, with shortfalls being provided by the local authorities.
"Even though the government is paying serious attention, we still need help from everyone to improve the infrastructure and raise the quality of education. A better studying environment will help reduce the gap between rural and urban children," said the secretary-general of the Jilin branch at China Charity Federation Jilin, Zhang Junjiu.
And reducing this gap is especially important, given the government's emphasis on building a harmonious society and spurring growth in the country's rural areas.
- CNA/yt
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