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Education improved in Liangshan

In space of just over 20 years, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture has gone from being an area where only boys were educated, to one which is now thriving with equal education and much improved facilities.

Located in the Southwest China’s Sichuan province, the prefecture is home to the Yi ethnic group, who for a time believed that women in their culture did not need to be educated.

Sadly, up until the early 1990s, many girls stayed at home and were not able to attend school. However, this all changed after a government initiative was introduced in 1992, aimed at getting girls out of their homes and into classrooms.

A trial subsidy was launched in Puge county, providing allowances for families who sent their daughters to school. The trail was an instant success and by the end of 1992, seven all-female classrooms had opened in the county.

Dongshan Village School was the first to launch classes for female students. According to one teacher from the school, the students only needed to pay a small amount of money for food and firewood.

Today, some 24 years later, Dongshan Village School has undergone a series of upgrades and refurbishments and is now the most advanced building in the area.

Every child, male or female, is afforded the right to nine years’ of compulsory education, with an additional three years of vocational schooling. The trial has become standard, with the government subsidizing students’ accommodation and dining.

Official statistics show that 49 percent of the students of Dongshan Village School are female. According to a recent report from Xinhua, the spread of education and the central government’s efforts in increasing social welfare seems to be working in the Daliang mountain area.

Female students salute at a school flag-raising ceremony in 1992. Dongshan Village School in Puge county, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture opens classes for female students 24 years ago. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

A female student from Dongshan Village School plays basketball in 1992. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

The new teaching building at Dongshan Village School. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]
Edited by Owen Fishwick