Insiders Call for Long Term Plans for "Hope Primary Schools"

China has been dismantling and merging some charity-funded primary schools in rural areas.

While the public feels bad about the shutdowns, insiders see them as a necessary step for the integration of education resources nationwide. He Fei has the details.

Professor Fan Xianzuo of Huazhong Normal University researches the allocation of rural primary and middle schools in China.

He says one of the main reasons for the merger of charity-funded primary schools in rural areas is the shrinking of the rural population due to the country's one-child policy and the growth of the migrant worker population.

He says many of these schools are short on long-term plans.

These schools,which are generally known as 'hope primary schools' in China, are funded by private persons or organizations. Therefore, they lack general plans for the big picture. Some local governments set up these schools blindly as long as there are donations."

Fan Xianzuo says the merging and dismantling of charity schools is a part of the country's overall plan to integrate its educational resources.

The number of primary schools in rural areas nationwide has decreased by nearly sixty percent in the last two decades.

Wang Wei, who has been doing charity projects in rural primary schools, points out that some problems must be resolved to make the process better.

"Many schools are short of support facilities such as canteens and dorms to accommodate all students after the mergers. As the schools in villages are shut down, many students have to walk a long way and live in the new school. The living cost and safety become additional burdens for their families."

Tu Meng, General Secretary of the China Youth Development Foundation, a major power in building charity schools, agrees.

He says his organization will focus more on improving schools' support facilities as there are now enough classroom buildings.

"As the number of schools decreases, the demands on each school to accommodate more students increase. Therefore, building support facilities such as canteens and student dormitories has become our priority."

Besides, Wang Wei, the NGO volunteer, says in the long term teaching quality and the teachers' welfare will become more important for charity schools. He points out that the government should have a clear general picture of charity schools to avoid blind investments.

For CRI, I'm He Fei.