Learn Chinese online - Officials have responsibility to provide aid

Opinion / Li Xing

Officials have responsibility to provide aid
By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-10 06:22

Wang Yi has struggled to improve the New Century School for children of
migrant workers ever since he founded it in 1999.

In seven years, the school has been transformed. It had only four
classrooms in a farmer's old house when it started, while today it has
more than a dozen classrooms, an activity room, a computer room and a
small sports ground.

Despite the improvement, Wang received a notice in early July from the
Education Commission of Beijing's Haidian District, where Wang's school
is located.

The notice demanded that the New Century School be shut down by law,
because it did not meet the municipal requirement for primary and middle
schools as stipulated in the local government regulations.

Wang Yi was not alone. In the first week of July, 30-some schools like
the New Century received the same shutdown notice, according to People's
Daily.

That means some 10,000 children of migrant workers have to look for new
schools when the autumn semester starts in September.

On the surface, the Haidian District Education Commission was following
the law and carrying out its official duty.

The media has quoted an unnamed municipal commission official as being
sympathetic, saying the conditions of those schools were too poor to get
official licensing. A district education official was quoted as saying
"sympathy did not represent the law."

There is no question that government officials should uphold the law.

But I believe government officials are duty-bound not only to govern and
supervise by law, but also to serve.

How much service have they rendered and how much help have they rallied
to improve those schools that they deem "not up to requirement and
illegal?"

They seem to have done very little.

None of the schools has received financial assistance from the local
commission's coffers.

A search for the key Chinese phrase "schools for children of migrant
workers" on the websites of the Beijing municipal government
(www.beijing.gov.cn) as well as the Haidian district government and
education commission (www.bjhd.gov.cn and www.hdavec.org), yields a
number of new regulations putting in new health and hygiene and other
codes for those schools.

There are also news articles about various activities that lend
assistance to those schools. But the municipal education commission and
the Haidian district education commission are not among the activity
sponsors.

Moreover, the notice was delivered to the schools after the summer
vacation had already started.

The migrant school headmasters had no way to get to all the parents or
their students, even though an accompanying notice informed the parents
that they should bring "five certifications" to local neighbourhood
committees to get official certification for their children's entry into
local public schools.

In fact, most migrant workers have had no idea what the five
certifications actually are.

Many migrant workers are reluctant to send their children to public
schools. They cannot afford extra money charged on them. Many also fear
discrimination from urban kids or from teachers.

Apparently the officials have no patience to go to these workers and
listen to their grievances.

It is ironic that the commission notices were delivered a few days after
the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted the
revised Law on Compulsory Education, which aims to give equal compulsory
education to children in cities and in the countryside.

In fact, top municipal education chief Liu Limin vowed on July 31 that
Beijing must adopt several measures according to the revised law. One of
those measures is to ensure the children of migrant workers enjoy equal
education rights as urban children in Beijing.

Now only three weeks are left before the new semester starts. The public
has to wait and see what actual actions the local education officials
will take to help out the 10,000-some children of migrant workers.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/10/2006 page4)

Hot Talks

� Can one love two grils ?

� N. Korea launches 6 Missiles

� Taiwan's (Irrational) Fear of China

� Former US Treasury Secretary says dump T-Bills

� MC'DONALDS + SINOPEC = FUBAI

Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours

Alibaba is the largest B2B marketplace in the world. Source model ship,
wooden puzzle, one-piece toilet, RC hovercraft, photo album, prom dress,
pocket bike, Vaginal Speculum, Samurai Sword, String Panty and PVC Pipe.

Learn Chinese, Learn Mandarin online, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet