Teachers at a school in southwest China's Yunnan Province are not only educating students but also providing family-like care for them, as most of their parents are working in remote places.
Established in September, the Hanying Runze School in Baoshan City has around 180 students from grades one to nine. It is an outcome of the city's initiative aimed at ensuring no child lacks care, love and support growing up.
"Most of our children lack parental care and family supervision. So here, our teachers are not just educators but also act as the children's parents. Each of our teachers takes care of four to five children. During special occasions like the Mid-Autumn Festival or other celebrations, we would bring them to our homes," said Zhou Jie, principal of the school.
"At this school, there is a warm, family-like feeling that I have never experienced at my previous schools. The teachers give us a lot of help. They always plug our blind spots in studying and help each of us recognize both our advantages and shortcomings", said Chen Zilin, a student.
The establishment of this school is made possible by the dedication of government employees at all levels and contributions from various social forces.
According to a local government investigation, Baoshan has around 42,000 children in need of financial and emotional support, including many left-behind children. Over 10,000 government officers from city to village levels have paired up with these children for targeted assistance.
"We visit in person once every quarter to understand the problems faced by the left-behind children and children in difficulties. This includes checking if they have any difficulties, whether they need assistance, and what kind of help they require," said Zhao Yankai, a government employee in Jinji Town of Baoshan.
In collaboration with one of China's major telecom operators, the city has developed a special platform with various functions, including video chats with family members, with more programs in the local government's agenda.
"First, we will increase financial support to care for and help left-behind children. Second, we will establish special assistance funds, ensuring that the funds are used exclusively for this purpose and improving their efficiency. Third, we need to strengthen staffing by ensuring that schools and communities are equipped with dedicated personnel for this cause," said Zhao Biyuan, deputy secretary of Baoshan Municipal Party Committee.
"We can only assist a small portion of children, but we believe their potential will grow exponentially, spreading this love to every corner of the world," Zhou said.
Yunnan school provides family-like care for left-behind children
