70 4 Nine Year Compulsory Education ...
goes through the district from the north to the south. The only flat land is along the
bank of the river and the rest of the district is mountainous with an average eleva-
tion of 2500 m and a high point of 3900 m. Bier remains difficult to access along a
road which becomes impassable in poor weather and which follows the line of the
river. Roads leading off the main road remain only suitable for four wheel drives.
There is a private bus service along the road but the price of 10 yuan for a ticket
to Zhaojue is a disincentive to many who are not receiving regular salaries. It is
not used by school children. In this area the population density is very low and the
grazing is very poor. Frost and hail are major natural hazards which destroy the
crops. Though there has been some economic development including a potato pro-
cessing plant, physical infrastructure remains poor and the quality of many build-
ings is low. Bier xiang has not benefitted as Sikai has from being located on the
road between Zhaojue and Xichang where more investment has been concentrated.
Sikai District was the other case study area chosen. It lies more than 20 km
southwest of Zhaojue County Town and is contiguous to Bier District and Xide
County in the north, Fucheng District in the east, Jiefanggou District in the west,
and Butuo County in the north. Several small rivers run across the district, and
it has a relatively large plain area unlike Bier. On average it is 2200 m above the
sea level, and the highest point is 2800 m. It is a little warmer than Bier and has
a higher rainfall. The land is more fertile than Bier and there is some irrigation,
commercial agriculture, and some mining and small scale industry. Ribbon devel-
opment is taking place along the main road that leads to the city of Xichang on the
plain below.
Sikai has developed faster than Bier and it is clear that levels of investment in
infrastructure and buildings including schools have been substantial. The trans-
port system has continued to improve in Sikai and the main artery road to Xichang
and the rest of Sichuan and China passes through Sikai with a regular bus service
down to the plain. Sikai is no longer isolated from the outside world, at least for
those living along the highway. Whereas in 1990 only three families owned a tv
set these are now commonplace, as are mobile phones. Thus Sikai remains richer
and more developed as was the case in 1990.
4.3 The Evolution of Nine Year Compulsory Education
in Zhaojue in Bier and Sikai
The evolution in the number of schools in Zhaojue has followed a very differ-
ent pattern to that in the other case study areas. In 1990 there were 122 primary
schools including two at county town level with the rest at village school level.
By 2005 the number of village schools had more than doubled to 261 and the two
county schools continued with expanded enrolments. Another county primary
school was established in 2007—a National Primary School with 1200 enrolment.
The new village level schools are the result of commitments to provide access to