Bosch project brings quality education to remote regions

The first early education center in Jeminay county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Sareoleng Songyuan Kindergarten, has two volunteer teachers taking care of seven Kazakh children. Hao Yan / China Daily

Expert instructors have delivered Bosch China-funded summer education classes in western China's less-developed regions to improve local teachers' proficiency. The project demonstrated the company's perseverance in improving people's livelihoods and wellbeing.

Bosch China Charity Center funded two five-day teacher education programs from July 18-30 in Sichuan province and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region through the China Youth Development Foundation and the China Development Research Foundation.

A total of 80 leading village schoolteachers from various provinces gathered in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, to receive further instruction from five professional educators.

A few days later in Xinjiang's remote Altay prefecture, another four experts gave early education training to 40 local nursery teachers.

The two training sessions were among more than 50 programs run by Bosch China to support educational development and poverty alleviation in the central and western regions.

"We are here to help the teachers better understand advanced education philosophy, so they can apply what they learn in their classes," said Zheng Lihui, director of Bosch China Charity Center.

"To nurture a better learning environment for the children is part of our vision, and we also are aiming to narrow the gap in early education between rural and urban areas."

Nursery teachers at Altay prefecture's day care center now receive a monthly salary of about 1,500 yuan ($225.68). Although not a high salary, it is 500 yuan more than it was before Bosch's support started in June last year.

Bosch China has donated 2.3 million yuan since June 2015 for the Village Early Education Center project in Altay prefecture with the aim of accelerating the implementation of improved education in farming and grazing areas, improving the quality of education in Jeminay county, and helping establish 31 preschools and recruit volunteer nursery teachers in Qinggil county.

"Education is reaching a very high level despite the confined conditions and limited resources," said Mary Young, director of the child development center of China Development Research Foundation.

"The children aged from 3 to 5 stay together, and the teachers instruct the elder children in how to help the younger ones. It emraces the world's leading education philosophy that children interact, learn and grow together best in a real social environment."

In December 2012, Eljan Mahsat, a 9-year-old Kazakh boy, was the first child enrolled into the Sareoleng Songyuan Kindergarten in Jeminay. After a preschool education in both Chinese and the Kazakh language, he entered primary school in 2014.

His 52-year-old father, Mahsat Islam, said: "I appreciate the village kindergarten not only for preparing my kid for primary school education, but also for taking care of him and helping me concentrate on my border guard job." He patrols 30 kilometers every day along the border between China and Kazakhstan.

The German-headquartered company has been progressively devoting resources to China's educational development, and paying close attention to school age children in less-developed regions.

More than 23,000 people across 24 administration regions have benefited from the 59 million yuan donation by the company as of the end of last year. Besides, more than 1,800 volunteers in seven cities were registered to participate in the charity programs.