China's rural education at risk due to urbanization

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Primary schools in rural China are facing grave challenges, not because of tough conditions, but because of lack of students.

Urbanization has done a lot in improving people’s life by enabling people to move and live in cities. But for those who cannot afford to move, rural schools have become the only place they can rely on for education.

The Guyu primary school from the outside. /CGTN Photo

The Guyu primary school is located in the southwestern border of Henan province, in a mountainous village where the nearest town is 30 kilometers away.

Chen Junde is the only teacher in this school and has been teaching for 41 years.

The Guyu primary school used to have more than 100 students at its peak. /CGTN Photo

The school covers two villages with about 500 residents. But when CGTN reporters were there, only five students aging from four to eight were in the classroom because most villagers are not living in the villages any more.

Students live on campus because they live too far from home to go back everyday. /CGTN Photo

They have either moved to live in the cities or find employment as migrant workers in the cities and bring their kids with them for better education.

Kids of different ages study together as Chen is the only teacher, but still, all courses for their ages are provided. /CGTN Photo

Local education officials told CGTN that this is very common in rural China, especially in remote mountainous places where teachers are not willing to stay. That is also part of the reason why parents tend to bring their kids out of the village, to give them better education.

The small square in front of the village council is their playground. /CGTN Photo

We met the mother of one of the students and she told us that her daughter would have to drop out of school without this place because they are too poor to move out of the village.