1818.5 Development of Boarding Schools and Related Issues
The large scale readjustment of school location and size discussed above has led to
a great decrease in the number of schools, which is much bigger than the decrease
of number of students. As a result, the distance between home and schools for
many rural children has increased. Some investigation shows that the home school
distance for primary school pupils has increased to 4.05 km in average. Boarding
school is an alternative nationally the overall number of boarding students in rural
areas reached 7.2 million, representing 8.1 % of the total enrolment. It increased to
9.3 million and 11.2 % in 2009. In some provinces the percentage has increased to
over 30 % (Yang and Wu 2014 ).
School merger and developing boarding schools have progressed hand in
hand. To ensure the standards of boarding school and regulate the management of
hygiene and living conditions of rural boarding schools, the MoE issued “Hygiene
Facility Building and Management Regulation of Rural Boarding Schools” in
- It put forward the requirements for drinking water facilities, dormitory, din-
ning hall, showering and lavatory facilities, facilities for garbage and sewage treat-
ment. It also required that “The average indoor living area for each person should
not be smaller than 3 square meters. Each student should have certain storage
space, one bed for one person and provide washbasin for each student”.
This section focuses on Ansai and Zhaojue since this is where there are many
boarding schools. Tongzhou’s location is in the capital area. Because of this its
urbanization process has been faster and better managed than the other two case
study areas. Boarding schools have not been necessary for most students since
travel distances are relatively short and infrastructure has developed to a high level
over the last two decades. In contrast Ansai, Shanxi and Zhaojue, Sichuan have the
typical problems of large provinces with under developed areas and lower popula-
tion density. Boarding is necessary in some areas and has been extended to many
other areas as the population has urbanized and as policy and resource allocation
has favored concentration of students in large district schools.
8.5.1 Boarding Schools in Ansai County, Shannxi Province
About 34 % of all students in Ansai are boarding in schools with a range between
districts of from 16 to 60 %. Almost all the students who transfer from incomplete
schools need to board in the schools they attend. There were 337 boarding stu-
dents in Yanhewan Central primary school in 2006–2007 and they were 54 % of
all those enrolled. In Huazipeng central primary school the number and proportion
was 282 and 26 %.
Although the boarding rate was high, the research showed that living conditions
were very basic and cramped. The average dormitory room area was about 10 m^2 ,
within which 10 or sometimes 12 students were accommodated in 5 or 6 bunk
beds and there were no desks, chairs or work space. This is therefore over crowded