62 3 Nine Year Compulsory Education in a Poor District ...
in income. Fourth, many teachers in Ansai are also boarders. Some we interviewed
were married to other teachers teaching in different schools, with their own chil-
dren going to school in other boarding schools in major cities far from Ansai. This
aspect of high rates of boarding which affects teachers quality of life seems to
have been little discussed and addressed.
In the interviews with older students it was clear that many were willing to live
in the school, and believed that there were advantages. The advantages noted were
that the teachers would help them with their studies; they could socialize with
other children; and that the discipline of boarding was good for their future well
being. On the other hand some teachers complained that the management policy
of ‘fixed position’, and the so-called ‘sentinel positioning system’ means that from
morning to night they have to be responsible for the study and wellbeing of all the
students and this increases their workload. In addition to formal classes, teacher
must be on post for tutoring, self-study classes, exercises during breaks, and bed
checks. As one teacher has put it: “managing the students too rigorously will make
students have no imagination and have a lack of enthusiasm for study. If students
cannot learn independently, the more the teachers teach, the more dependent they
will be on the teachers.”
Though many boarders in Ansai qualify for the “Two exemptions and one
subsidy” policy, parents who were interviewed expressed the view that the costs
were still substantial. Excluding the cost of tuition and textbooks, the 75 yuan per
month living allowance is not enough for the boarders. For example, each meal
costs a student about 2–4 per yuan, 7–10 yuan per day, and at least 200 yuan per
month. In discussion with students it became clear that between 20 and 40 yuan
per month are needed in addition. Thus parents need to pay 100–150 yuan living
expenses a month for boarding children over and above the subsidy.
Closely related to the development of boarding is the extent to which the num-
ber of “left-behind” children is growing. This occurs when parents work away
from Ansai as migrant workers. Children have to live with their grandparents,
or be entrusted to the care of their relatives. For example, in Yanhewan Central
Primary School in the last five years the number of left-behind children was
between 70 and 90, accounting for about 10 % of the total enrolled students.
“Left-behind” children are a special group who have a disproportionate amount
of learning problems. Teachers indicated that some left-behind children are with-
drawn and indifferent, and their academic achievement is not as good as other stu-
dents. Because they often live with their grandparents who may have low levels
of education, they may be spoiled and given little help and guidance in their stud-
ies. Although it is argued, teachers try their best to give help to these children, the
issues are often complex. Several left-behind children we interviewed were clearly
distressed they did not see their parents for long periods, sometimes more than a
year at a time.