48 3 Nine Year Compulsory Education in a Poor District ...
In 1990, 70 % of GDP of Huaziping depended on agriculture and there was no
industry. The annual income of the farmers was 308 yuan. The oil industry has
boomed and much new investment has been made in different industries. Net per
capita income exceeded 3500 yuan in 2010.
Yanhewan Township is located south of Ansai County at the junction of the
Yanhe and Xing rivers. The highways from Yan’an to Jingbian pass through the
township. The township has a land area of 210 km^2. It has a jurisdiction over
28 administrative villages, and 102 villagers groups, with a total population of
17,000.
The road infrastructure has improved in Yanhewan but lags behind Huaziping
in terms of the amount of tarred roads. Almost all households have access to clean
water and electricity. Agriculture is about 65 % of the local economy and forestry
now accounts for 10 %. Per capita income now exceeds 4500 yuan.
3.3 The Evolution of Nine Year Compulsory Education
The evolution of the school system in Ansai has followed a similar pathway to
that in Tongzhou in so far as the merger of small schools and concentration of
children in fewer larger schools is concerned. The total number of primary schools
has fallen from over 370 to less than 140 and there are now only 6 central primary
schools compared to 13 before. The many incomplete primary schools have been
reduced in number substantially and merged with larger schools. However, the age
of entry to school remains seven years, unlike in Tongzhou where it is now six
years old.
This rationalization is reflected in the two case study districts. The number
of primary schools in Huaziping fell from 40 in 1990 to 10 in 2008/09. The 39
incomplete primary schools fell from 39 to nine. During the 2000s the incomplete
primary schools were gradually reduced in number until 2009 when a decision
was made to retain nine incomplete primary schools covering only grades 1 and 2,
after which children would be enrolled in the single central primary school. Those
living at a distance would become boarders from grade 3. In 2003/04, 290 students
were in incomplete primary schools and these were 18 % of total enrolment. In
2008/09, only 91 were in incomplete primary schools accounting for less than 6 %
of the primary school population. The largest incomplete school that remains has
three full-time teachers, and only 37 students, of which 14 were in pre-school, 14
in grade 1, and 9 in grade 2. Over time it is probable that children living at a dis-
tance will be invited to become boarders from grade 1.
In 1990, there were 47 primary schools in total in Yanhewan Township, includ-
ing 1 central primary school, 3 complete primary schools, and 43 incomplete
primary schools. Now, Yanhewan has a total of 15 primary schools, including 1
central primary school, 1 complete primary school and 13 incomplete primary
schools. As in Huaziping the number of school age children has declined, and
qualified teachers willing to work in rural schools have been in short supply. Small