Shrinking Rural School: Watchman ensures no student is left behind

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More people from rural areas are moving to China's growing cities. Many families are also bringing their children. As a result, rural schools are losing their students. CGTN's Liu Xinqing visited one such school that only has five students, telling us the story of a teacher who's stayed in his post for four decades.

Forty years on the job. Teaching has become second nature. 59-year-old Chen Junde is the only teacher at Guyu primary school in southwestern Henan province. It is the only school for more than 500 villagers living along the Cangziling mountain. Chen lives on campus all year long. The school's five students are all he has. He wears many hats: Principal, Teacher, Cook, and Caretaker.

CHEN JUNDE TEACHER, GUYU PRIMARY SCHOOL "I know kids in the mountains need education very much. At that time, education condition was very poor, so I decided to become a teacher after finishing senior high school. I hope I can help these kids go beyond the mountains and see the outside world."

At its peak, Guyu Primary School had many more students. Today, it's the only school left in the village. Most school-age children have left the area.

CHEN JUNDE TEACHER, GUYU PRIMARY SCHOOL "Living conditions in the mountains are not very good, and many people have moved out of this village to live in the towns and in the county. They often bring their children with them, so the number of students here keeps decreasing, and now I only have five students."

LIU XINQING NANYANG "With only five students left in the classroom, this place can barely be called a school. But this situation is not uncommon in rural China as more and more school-age children are following their parents to the urban areas. Many rural schools have either shut down or merged with other schools."

7-year-old Tao Siyuan is one of two second-graders at this school. She has been here since she was four years old. She would not have been able to get an education at all had it not been for this school.

"Do you like to go to school?"

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"Because I can learn a lot of knowledge and play with friends."

The closest town is more than 30 kilometers away. That distance turns off many young teachers. Chen also thought of leaving this place at one point. But it's the students who made him give the idea up.

CHEN JUNDE TEACHER, GUYU PRIMARY SCHOOL "The salary was so low so I was under a lot of financial pressure. I also considered quitting this job for a better opportunity. But these kids will have no teacher left if I leave."

When you stick to something for 40 years, that something becomes the only thing for you. For Mr. Chen, that is just the case.

CHEN JUNDE TEACHER, GUYU PRIMARY SCHOOL "I often feel bored when I don't attend classes for a few days during holidays, and I feel the most relaxed when I am staying with my students. It's the happiest thing to watch them learn and grow up."

Chen has devoted all his life to rural education, to make sure no one is left behind in his village. He will turn 60 next year, the legal age for retirement. He fears one day he will have to leave the school.

CHEN JUNDE TEACHER, GUYU PRIMARY SCHOOL "If the kids still need me after retirement, I want to stay on, even if I have to serve as a volunteer. I don't want these kids to drop out of school because of my retirement."

Liu Xinqing, CGTN, Nanyang, Henan province.