Download
Education officials in Macheng, Hubei province, have been asked to dig into their own pockets to help buy desks and chairs for primary school students in an impoverished area.
The move follows the publication on Monday of pictures of children in Shunhe township carrying furniture for the first day of the new school semester.
As of Tuesday, enough money had been pledged by officials to buy 100 sets of desks and chairs, according to Ruan Jing, a publicity official for the city.
Each set costs about 250 yuan ($39), she said, adding that authorities are also asking companies for help.
On Monday, the Changjiang Times reported that more than 3,000 primary school students in Shunhe were forced to carry desks and chairs from their homes to the school, with the help of their parents, due to a shortage of supplies.
The paper also reported the story of Wang Ziyi, a 5-year-old girl, who took a 24-year-old desk to school. Her grandfather told the paper that the desk was used by the girl's father, uncles and aunts.
The report has caught the public's attention, with netizens accusing authorities of not providing appropriate school supplies to students.
According to a statement from the Macheng publicity office, authorities started a "Proper Study Desk" project in March 2017, to bring an end to the era of taking desks to schools. The planned cost of the project is 4 million yuan.
The Macheng education bureau bought 32,800 desks and chairs in March and June, aiming to cover all middle schools and some of the primary schools in the area.
About 3,000 sets were sent to Shunhe township, to boost supplies at three middle schools and at the Shunhe Central Primary School. The statement also announced a new investment worth 5 million yuan.
Xiang Mingxiu, the only teacher in the Changchong Primary School in Shunhe, said about a dozen sets of desks and chairs were delivered by local authorities to the school on Sunday.
Xiang recalled that her son, who now studies at a middle school in the city, also had to take his own desk when he went to primary school.
"I borrowed one for him from a relative," she said.
Yuan Guilin, a professor at Beijing Normal University, who is an expert on rural education, said the school supplies shortage is not a widespread problem in rural China.
"Only a few remote areas and villages are affected by this problem," Yuan said, adding that a shortage of school buildings and the safety conditions in existing schools are more pressing issues.
About the broadcaster:
Rosie Tuck is a copy editor at the China Daily website. She was born in New Zealand and graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Communications studies majoring in journalism and television. In New Zealand she was working as a junior reporter for the New Zealand state broadcaster TVNZ. She is in Beijing on an Asia New Zealand Foundation grant, working as a journalist in the English news department at the China Daily website.
看电影学雅思:《狮子王》口语解析
雅思口语天天练:"Whatever"的用法
雅思口语天天练:鼓起勇气的英文说法
雅思口语常用谚语80句(4)
雅思口语素材:莎士比亚名言-不放弃
雅思口语天天练:进退两难的表达
看电影学雅思:《当幸福来敲门》口语解析
雅思口语天天练:表达感谢的几种方式
雅思口语天天练:休假的英语表达
雅思口语天天练:如何请别人安静?
王宪:雅思口语考试趋势分析
吕冰:雅思口语考试流程介绍
雅思口语模板参考:Music and travelling
葛雅楠:雅思口语注意事项及高分必备技巧
雅思口语常用谚语80句(3)
雅思口语模板参考:Friends
雅思口语范文:a food or a dish
雅思口语天天练:我支持你
沈怡然:雅思口语考试的四条小贴士
看电影学雅思:《泰坦尼克号》口语解析
雅思口语天天练:小事一桩 Piece of Cake
教你如何顺利通过雅思口语考试
雅思口语话题及参考范文:Examinations
雅思口语天天练:人言可畏
雅思口语天天练:呼叫某人
看电影学雅思:《长发公主》口语解析
雅思口语天天练:"为时过早"用英语怎么说
赵莉:雅思口语经典难题解析
雅思口语天天练:又闷又热 Stuffy
雅思口语常用谚语80句(1)
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |