Teachers face number of hurdles in rural areas

Online education highlights plight of pupils in countryside

Shu Hang, a mathematics teacher at a village primary school in Xiangyang, Hubei province, has remained largely alone on the school's grounds since the end of January.

During holidays, the small group of teachers at the school take turns as campus caretakers.

Shu, 32, who teaches second-grade students at Erwang Primary School and was due to take care of the campus during Spring Festival, drove to the school on Jan 28.

He decided to remain after roads were closed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, making it difficult for colleagues to reach the school, which is located in Juwan in the countryside.

A lockdown was enforced in Xiangyang on Jan 27.

During the outbreak, Shu has acted as a cleaner, spraying disinfectant in classrooms, dormitories and toilets. As a gardener, he weeds and trims trees on the campus, and as a guard he wears a uniform and operates from a small gatehouse.

Since Feb 10, Shu and 17 colleagues have been giving lectures online for the first time in their careers.