An advocate for high quality education

Bai (fourth from left) meets students and family members, while visiting some of her students' homes at Langmalu, the most distant village from the primary school. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Bai adds that because the teachers' salaries are dependent on their students' exam results, the focus was not on quality, holistic education but on teaching the children to become exam-smart.

Bai recalls how she once visited the family of a Grade 6 student who lived in a village called Langmalu, where most speak the local ethnic dialect and do not understand a word of Mandarin. In this area, a middle school education is the highest qualification most locals obtain. Some families sell domestic animals and liquor for a living, while others eke out a living by becoming farmers or migrant workers in other cities.

Less than 5 percent of students in rural China go on to university, compared with 80 percent of students in urban areas, based on TFC's research published on its website.

"Most of my students live in conditions where neither of the parents can help their kids with their education. There are only a few activities for children here such as working on farmland, doing homework, playing with their mobile phones and watching television," she says.

Although Bai recently received good news that Grade 3 students from her school were ranked first in the English exam across Weishan county last semester, she is far from delighted with her contributions.

"I will be leaving this school in two years, and I wonder if the local teachers can teach English as effectively as I can. Many underprivileged regions are in dire need of real guidance, teaching resources, and support from the outside world for children to obtain the same education as those in urban areas," she says.

But despite of the hard work and low pay, Bai is still passionate about her job, which she will continue to carry out for another three semesters.

"A lack of people with higher education and commitment to teaching is one of the biggest challenges facing the schooling situation in rural areas in China as a whole," she says.

"Every child, regardless of which part of the country he or she is from, has the right to quality education."

Editor: Wang Shixue