C OvER sTORY
A
s one of the cooperation partners with the Stanford Rural
Education Action Programme (REAP,) the National Health
and Family Planning Commission of China has provided
substantial support for REAP’s research into the slow cognitive de-
velopment of rural Chinese children, caused by poorly-educated and
equipped parents and a lack of early childhood education.
In early July, ChinaReport interviewed Cai Jianhua, the head of
training centre for the National Health and Family Planning Com-
mission in his Beijing office. During the interview, Cai noted that
most of the 50 million children in China live in rural areas and they
will account for the majority of China’s future labour force. Even
though China has undergone substantial urbanisation, country folk
still have more children at a younger age than city dwellers. “If the
issue of rural children’s early childhood education isn’t solved, it willbe a hurdle to the overall development of the country,” added Cai to
the reporter.Critical Impact
ChinaReport: Do you feel shocked by the recent research findings
by REAP? What are the causes?
Cai Jianhua: The results were truly shocking. It was not only a
reflection of rural infants and children’s poor cognitive development,
but as shown through the Bayley Scales of Infant Development
(BSID) test, these rural children had problems across the board, such
as in sports, language and even social emotions.
There are various reasons behind this, of course, but generally
speaking, infants born in urban areas enjoy a better environment and
opportunities compared to those from rural areas.Baby Development
Cai Jianhua: Holding kids Back
Early nutrition and education is critical for rural kids, and the government needs to step up
By Zhou Qunfeng
Photo by VCG