61Conditions for boarders remain austere. Generally in a room of about 10–15 m^2
there are 5 standard double layer bunk beds. These should be used by 10 students
but are actually used by 20 students sleeping two per mattress. In these dormi-
tory rooms there are no tables or chairs or any other furniture, no toilet and no
heating system, though the winters are well below freezing. There is also no sys-
tem whereby carers are available to children in addition to the home room teachers
who have general responsibility of the health, safety and wellbeing of the board-
ers. The caring of borders, especially those very young ones is a cause concern.
Increased boarding has been made necessary by the decrease of school age
children and school mergers which have led many incomplete schools in vil-
lages disappear. The policy choice has been made to concentrate resources in a
few large schools of reasonable scale. Children living in remote villages now start
their schooling in nearby incomplete schools and then transfer to central primary
at grade 3 or grade 5. They have to be borders since central primary schools are
distant from many villages, though this is changing as transport infrastructure
improves. The presumed advantage of this policy is that children get better quality
education in the central school than would otherwise be the case, not least because
of the difficulties of posting good teachers to rural villages. There may be a price
in terms of aspects of children’s childhood and emotional well being.
Several issues were mentioned. First, boarding makes it difficult for parents to
care for their youngest children who may become home sick and miss the emo-
tional support and unconditional care that most parents give to their own chil-
dren. Second, the boarding regime is demanding and children may not have much
space for play and exploration. They spend long hours in learning from 7–10 pm
and may have little free time and entertainment. Third, boarding can generate a
financial burden on parents. Though it is fee-free some parents are so concerned
that they rent houses near the school to take care of the child’s daily life. As a
result they have to spend money to rent houses and cannot work, so suffer a loss
Table 3.3 Timetable of Yanhewan central primary in the second term (2008/09)
Period of
time
Activities Time Activities TimeMorning Getting up 6:00 Morning exercises,
breakfast6:40–7:50Morning reading 7:50–8:20 The first lesson 8:30–9:10
The second lesson 9:20–10:00 Exercises during
breaks10:00–10:20The third lesson 10:20–11:00 The fourth lesson 11:10–11:50
Noon School over and lunch 11:50–12:20 Noon break 12:20–14:40
Afternoon Eye exercises 14:55–15:00 The fifth lesson 15:00–15:00
The sixth lesson 15:40–16:20 The seventh lesson 16:30–17:10
Extra-curricular
activity17:10–18:10 School over and supper 18:10Evening self-study (1) 19:30–20:10 Evening self-study (2) 20:20–21:00
Bedtime 21:00–21:20 Lights out 21:30