Yucheng County Zhanji Yu-Lang Hope Elementary School
Date of Visit: April 25, 2012
Purpose of Visit: Project Completion
Grades: 1-6 (10 classes total)
Beginning in the fall, this school will merge with Chaigang Township’s #3 junior high to become a 1st-9th grade continuous school (in line with 9-year compulsory education). More than 60% of students’ parents migrate away for work, making the upbringing of these “left-behind children” a serious problem. Teachers often take on the responsibility of taking care of and/or tutoring students after school, even on the weekends, which causes them to be overworked. We’ve recommended to the education bureau to have safety bars installed on the second-floor windows. The building funded by TDF has been in use since September 2011, but the construction quality has some serious issues such as large gaps between window frames and adjoining walls, and sloppy treatment around window edges. The doors/windows, glass, stairs, and floors are all dirty. It seems like cleaning and maintenance work has not been done in a long time, if ever. We’ve suggested to the principal that keeping the campus clean should be a strong point when teaching students life skills, which can help them foster some good habits not only in school, but also at home (and life in general).
Students
No. of Students: 560 (no boarding)
The academic style is simple. Students have various talents, and are tanked amongst the best in the county. All students graduate on to Chaigang Township’s #3 junior high.
Teachers
No. of Teachers: 21
Eight of the teachers serve special positions, and were sent to teach at this school straight out of college.
Buildings/Facilities
– 12 classrooms
– Library: ~5,000 books
– Computer Room: 4 computers
– Restrooms: 40 squat-style toilets
Problems/Issues
In need of computers and multimedia equipment. Not enough bathrooms.