82 4 Nine Year Compulsory Education ...
weighted in favour of girls. In 1990 there were 3000 boarders, over 20 % of total
enrolment at that time. So far the new initiatives have therefore only succeeded
in keeping pace with increased enrolment, so the proportion of boarders has
remained similar to its level twenty years ago, though the numbers involved have
increased.
The boarding system is intended to solve problems of distance and rural isolation
in what is a very mountainous area. The system is in transition and there are many
issues. First, the dormitories are insufficient for the number of students. The research
indicated that there are 20 or even 30 students living in a dormitory designed for 10
people, and they sleep two or three to a mattress. Second, though infrastructure in
new schools has improved, in some heating is unavailable, toilets and running water
are some distance from the dormitories, and some furniture in dormitories is lack-
ing, not least because there is little space any. Pupils appear to have little if any per-
sonal space or non classroom social space. This is all the more surprising when fully
equipped computer rooms are provided with more than 40 machines and the neces-
sary networking representing a substantial investment of resources.
Third, food and nutrition are a concern. Traditionally in Zhaojue there are only
two meals a day at 10:00 and 16:00. The food for boarders tends to be very simple
and with little protein, meat is provided once a month. A proportion of children
are below height and under weight. Fourth, according to some teachers children
can experience emotional problems as a result of long periods separated from par-
ents and home environment. Boarding schools are run according to fairly rigid
timetables with little creative space and free time. Fifth, the costs of boarding are
substantially greater than for day schools, and the demands on teachers are con-
siderably greater than in day schools. As relatively closed communities in remote
locations it remains difficult to get teachers to serve in these schools, especially
after their first appointments and if they have families.
It is not clear what the reasons are why more boarding is not in evidence in
Zhaojue given the existing policy and the fact that it has been a priority for twenty
years. Financial constraints have been an issue but the existing small village
schools must also be relatively expensive if they have low pupil teacher ratios.
More boarding may be the option of choice if more of the population relocates
from mountain habitations to valley floor villages. But such relocation would
make more local day schools viable especially if transportation was improved and
subsidised. As in Ansai the possibilities opened up by new technologies may also
create windows of opportunity to develop efficient small schools connected to the
latest developments in pedagogy.
4.7 Concluding Comments
Zhaojue has developed from a much lower base than either Tongzhou or Ansai. It
remains the case that not all children complete primary school, even though the
great majority of children in the 7–12 year age range are enrolled in school. It is