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Little girl with a big job
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-19 08:41
Every day, Lu Yanju, 13, finds much more to do than just finishing her own
homework.
The firl, of Miao minority, is studying in the Central Primary School of
remote Jiudong Village nestled in the Damiao Mountains of the Jiuwanda Range, in
South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
She spends part of her spare time every day taking care of about 10 students
at preschool level or in grades one to three.
Among them are two of Lu's younger cousins. The two young boys, Lu Fushun who
is 5 and Lu Haoran who is 6, were sent to this boarding school and entrusted to
the care of Lu Yanju by their parents who are now working as migrant labourers
in a coastal city far away from the village.
"A few years ago, my elder sister also took good care of me in school. Now,
it's my turn to look after students younger than myself," explained Lu, whose
parents are also away from the village most of the year.
Every morning, Lu gets up very early. Before she does her preparation for the
day's classes, she first dresses the younger students under her care, making
sure they wash their hands and faces, and preparing breakfast for them.
She also washes their clothes and helps them when they take their baths, and
tucks the youngest ones in when they go to bed at night.
When they get sick, she takes them to the local clinic. If she should find
any of them crying because they miss their mums and dads, she may take them for
a walk in the village and buy them candies with her own pocket money, which she
earns doing chores for local people or selling recyclable garbage.
"I sometimes feel like I am their mother. It is tiring and time-consuming for
me to play such a role, but I really like doing it," said Lu.
Lu is not the only "caregiver" looking after younger students in the school.
There are six others giving the same kind of help, according to Wei Yi the
headmaster, who is in his 40s.
Wei said that he is happy to see that almost all the children of school age
in the village attending school even though the families are short of money.
But he admits that he and his colleagues are unable to look after all the
needs of the young children in the school, as there are only four full-time
teachers.
As a result, a "caregiving system" has gradually taken shape, with the
support of the local villagers, he said.
The poverty-stricken village, with a population of about 1,200 people in 230
households, is located 26 kilometres from the Huaibao Township seat, which is
under the jurisdiction of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, on the border between
Guangxi and Guizhou Province.
The Damiao Mountain area, often plagued by torrential rains and frequent
landslides in summer, was once noted for its extensive forestry resources.
But the local ecosystem has deteriorated over the past two decades because of
heavy logging and the creation of huge plantations. The area has also suffered
from misdirected development and bad management of the local transportation
system.
By the mid-1990s, most original forest cover on the lower parts of the
mountains had disappeared, with all the mature trees cut down to make way for
the planting of cash crops or fast-growing trees that bring quick economic
returns, according to data from the local hydrological survey bureau.
The villagers used to make a simple living partly by cultivating small paddy
fields, and by working for the logging companies. The annual per capita income
in the village is around 100 yuan (US$12), according to local village leaders.
But the life of the local people was greatly changed when the area around
their village was designated as a nature reserve for water conservation purposes
in 2000.
Although the local people have received compensation, on average of less than
100 yuan (US$13) per year for each household, many of them have to leave the
area to look for work in coastal cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen, in South
China's Guangdong Province, to earn extra money to support their families.
Jiudong Village includes 14 small settlements naturally scattered in the
mountains.
Over the past decades, an increasing number of local people have chosen to
have only two or even one child, so the number of children of school age is
shrinking.
This phenomenon has led to a drop in the number of small schools in the area
from four to two.
Some of the students previously studying in these now-closed schools were
transferred by their parents to the Central Primary School while some others
were transferred to other parts of the county where they can get shelter, food
and care from their relatives or friends, said the headmaster.
Now his school has a total of 93 students and 63 of them board at the school.
The young students lead a very simple life on a diet of rice and pickles,
with green vegetables and meat a rare treat. But, says the headmaster, "the
students are willing to stay in my school. Nowadays, it is hard to find out a
dropout around here."
Over the past three years, his school has been ranked one of the top schools
in the county for its good teaching and high attendance rates.
However, Wei is still deeply concerned over the fact that most students don't
go on after graduating from grade three in junior middle school, partly because
of economic problems in their families and partly because of the lack of
teaching facilities and well-trained teachers in the
county.
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