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On July 12, Donghua University Summer Social Practice Mission came to Slope Hope Primary School, which is located at an altitude of 3,400 meters deep in the mountains of Zhang Xi 'an County, Gansu Province. When interviewing President Hou Xinmin (one of the top ten outstanding young people in China in 1999), I heard him tell such a story:

In order to make children develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically and laboriously, although we are short of teachers, it can be said that one teacher has always led a class. However, there is no shortage of classes in all grades of primary schools, and they are all open. Especially in terms of ideology and morality, we educate children to love their hometown and motherland, encourage them to learn from heroes and model figures, and serve the motherland when they grow up. Having no money to buy a national flag, we drew a bright five-star red flag on the wall. Every Monday morning, teachers and students sing the national anthem before the national flag. Whenever the majestic national anthem is sung in the depths of the mountains, our mood is extremely excited. I don't know who else flies the national flag like us in the 9.6 million square kilometers of the Republic of China. Later, two reporters from Tian Fei TV Station donated a national flag for us. When this bright five-star red flag first flew over Slope Hope Primary School, it became a unique landscape in the depths of this mountain.

1 research background

Education is one of the fundamental issues related to the rise and fall of the national movement. The educational situation of school-age children living in rural areas is the focus of current social attention. In recent years, the state has taken a series of measures to popularize nine-year compulsory education and protect rural children's right to education. In 2005, the Notice of the State Council on Deepening the Reform of the Funding Guarantee Mechanism for Rural Compulsory Education was issued, and the Compulsory Education Law was revised in 2006.

The main contents of this survey are the propaganda and implementation of these reforms and regulations in rural areas, the educational concept of rural families, the family economic conditions supporting rural children's education and the real situation of rural children's education at present.

2 investigation form and process

In view of the particularity of rural educational resources, we selected rural families in Zhangxi 'an County, Gannan region, where the economic conditions are relatively backward, as the field interview objects of this survey. The form of the survey combines school visits, farmer family visits and interviews with local village-level cadres. Through school visits and interviews with village cadres, we can understand and publicize the implementation of education reform and related laws and regulations. Through interviews with village cadres, we can fully understand the educational concept of peasant families, the educational situation of school-age children, the economic situation of rural families and the overall local economic situation.

The whole investigation process lasted for 5 days from July 8th to July12nd, and * * * visited 4 townships, 5 primary and secondary schools, 8 village communities and nearly 40 rural families in Wuyang Town, Jinzhong Town, Yanjing Township and Dacaotan Township of Zhang Xi 'an County.

3 research report

3. 1 education policy

Because this year is a crucial year for Zhang Xian's "two basics"-basically realizing nine-year compulsory education and basically eliminating illiteracy among young people in rural areas. When we visited the site, it was only 50 days before the acceptance of the "two basics". When interviewing the principals and teachers of Kezhai Middle School in Wuyang Town, Jinzhong Middle School in Jinzhong Town, Dachang Primary School and Slope Hope Primary School, I learned that the policy of "two exemptions and one subsidy" has been implemented, and the policy of free education has been implemented for children from poor families. Moreover, according to the actual situation of each school, the local government has taken "one-on-one" measures to help.

With regard to the contents and implementation of the Notice of the State Council on Deepening the Reform of Rural Compulsory Education Funding Guarantee Mechanism, we learned from the teachers we visited that they all know the contents of the notice, and their salaries as public teachers can be paid on a monthly basis (sometimes they cannot be paid in full because of some assessed expenses). For the newly revised Compulsory Education Law (implemented on June 30th), most teachers have only heard of it or don't know much about it.

In Zhang Xian, the outstanding problem of substitute teachers is the most talked about problem in our visits these days. All the schools we have been to have substitute teachers. In remote mountainous areas, the number of substitute teachers even reached more than half of the total number of teachers. During the discussion with teachers in various schools, we learned that these substitute teachers generally have long teaching experience (the longest has been more than 20 years), undertake heavy teaching tasks, and their work achievements have been recognized by other teachers and students. However, their wages are very low. The average per capita monthly salary is 100 ~ 200 yuan, and that of public teachers is 800 ~ 1000 yuan. At the same time, the current national substitute teacher policy is extremely unfavorable to them. Nevertheless, they still work conscientiously in the front line of education posts.

The day before our practice team arrived in Zhang Xian, we had a discussion with teachers and students of Lanzhou University of Technology. In this discussion, the secretary of the Party Committee of the School of International Management focused on the problems of substitute teachers he learned when he worked in the local area. Compared with what we learned in the schools we visited, it is even worse.

3.2 Educational concept

Concept determines people's choice, and rural families' views on education determine children's future fate. In the nearly 40 families we visited, different parents have different views on how to change the family status by sending their children to school: some have high expectations, some expect their children to go to college and work in the city, some are simple and clear, and they can solve their future life problems, and so on. However, due to economic reasons, some families have made it clear that as long as their children finish junior high school, they will go home to farm, and another parent directly said that there is no way out for their children to study.

In the eight village communities in the four townships we visited, on the whole, the more remote the geographical location, the less the children's educational concept. In Lagapo community of Kanzhipo village, which is located at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters and can only be reached by three-wheeled agricultural wheels, there is only a frost-free period of more than two months a year. The crops are mainly highland barley, wheat and potatoes, and the annual agricultural output can only maintain the life of a family. Under such conditions, the general view of parents on children's education is to try their best to send their children to finish junior high school, and whether they go to high school or not depends on the situation, even if the children's grades are good. In Dachang Village, the situation is more specific. Most of the families we visited were short of food for more than a month, but geographically speaking, they were relatively better than the last village, and the villagers' ideas were very limited. Few families are willing to go out to work to improve their economic situation. Therefore, the view on whether children receive education is conservative.

For children, going to school is a happy thing for them. They like to sit in the classroom and read and play with children. They like to be with teachers. They have all kinds of dreams and wishes for the future. 1 1 In the afternoon, we arrived at Li Zhuanxia's home in Xiazhuang, Dachang. She 14 years old, grade 5, and has a younger brother in grade 1, who likes Chinese and history. When she grows up, she wants to go to college and become a doctor who saves lives like Hua Tuo. The four of us sat in their only decent room, and learned from her mother that the two children went to school at six o'clock every day and didn't come home until half past five in the afternoon. When they get home, they have to help with housework most of the time. Although parents are busy all the year round, they can barely maintain their family life. Although the school has completely exempted their two children from tuition and book fees, it may be difficult for Li Zhuanxia, who is about to enter junior high school, because of family economic conditions. With our repeated encouragement, she never spoke again. She talked about her hobbies and ideals. When asked what she was going to do if her family couldn't afford to go to middle school, the tears that the children fought back finally came out uncontrollably.

12 In the evening, at the Zhangjia of Lagapo Society in Zhipo Village, we listened to the teacher who led the way to tell the story of this special family. 1 1 year-old Zhang was originally not surnamed Zhang, but changed his surname to Zhang Jucai after adoption. The old man is his grandfather. After the son of the old man died of illness last year, the two old people were left unattended, and the conditions for the daughter to marry in a foreign village were not good, so one of the daughters was adopted for the elderly. In the conversation with the old man, the old man kept boasting that Xia was a sensible child, while Xiao was pulling his grandfather to coquetry and looking at us with an innocent smile. On the way back, Mr. Zhang told us that he would take care of two old people at home after finishing the sixth grade at most.

People's ideas can be changed, and change means hope. We felt this hope in the discussion between Jinzhong Town and the president of Jinzhong Literature Society, Yang Yincong, and the president of Slope Hope Primary School, Hou Xinmin. Two outstanding contemporary youths chose to change the lives of local people ideologically and persisted for decades.

3.3 Economic situation

As mentioned above, on the one hand, the current rural education problem is the reason of educational concept, and another important reason is the restriction of family economic conditions.

After the reform of nine-year compulsory education funds, it is not a problem for most rural families to bear the cost of books for their children to go to school. Judging from the eight villages we visited, although the household income level in each village is different, after deducting the necessary expenses, the household year-end surplus is generally low.

Take Lagapo Society in Kanzhipo Village as an example. There are 23 farmers in this society *** 1 18. The main local crops are highland barley, rye and potatoes, and some farmers grow Chinese angelica and other medicinal materials. Due to the cold climate in the mountainous area at an altitude of 3000 meters, there are not many crops suitable for planting. Coupled with the extremely inconvenient transportation, the per capita annual income of government agencies is less than that of 500 yuan. For most families, the income from their own farming can last for one year. However, in Zhongchuang Village, a big factory with relatively good natural conditions, we know that farmers here will have a period of food shortage more or less after February every year. Although the local government has eased, it has not solved the long-term problems they face.

It is in this economic situation that many families say that they can only afford their children's education before high school, and it is difficult to answer for sure whether they will go to high school or even university. On the afternoon of 13, when we returned to the hotel in Zhang Xian, we met Sun Shiyan who worked in the hotel to raise high school tuition. /kloc-a 0/8-year-old girl from the northwest, with seven people in her family, lives in a thatched cottage. Mother is born disabled and can't do farm work at home; My father is over 60 years old and has been suffering from minor illnesses for many years. Because high school students have to pay the registration fee for 600 yuan, the original 12 mu of land on the hillside is just enough to make ends meet, but in order to provide for three children to go to school, the family has been unable to open a pot. In order not to burden her family, she cooks and washes clothes for her classmates in exchange for their remaining coal. After being admitted to high school, lanterns were hung in other people's homes, and her parents gave up long ago, hoping that she would stop studying. However, she is unwilling to be stubborn. With the help of good people, she took a part-time job in our hotel to raise the tuition for starting school. Even though she is so busy getting up early and getting greedy, 400 yuan's low salary still can't afford the tuition.

There are also very few families who can't even afford their children's living expenses at school because of economic reasons (considering the family's financial difficulties, the school has completely exempted students from tuition and other miscellaneous fees). Sheep Wei Yubing (15 years old, the mother only knows that the child is a sheep, but she doesn't know how old), her father died, and she has a sister and a younger sister. Because he can't go to school at home and can't lack labor like him, he has to drop out of school at present. Wei, the youngest sister of three brothers and sisters, is in grade three. When we went to her house, it was 1 1, and she happened to be at home.

3.4 Current situation of education

Focusing on the education of school-age children in rural areas, we can see from the previous aspects that the popularization of nine-year compulsory education and the reform of education funding system have effectively guaranteed the right of rural children to education. In the rural areas of Zhang Xian we visited, children from poor families basically received free education. At the same time, in order to ensure the realization of the "two basics" goal, the local government has also introduced relevant measures to ensure the realization of this goal. The reform of the subsidy system ensures the timely payment of rural teachers' salaries, and the enthusiasm of local teachers has been recognized by parents of students and village cadres. When we visited the farmer's home, the teacher of our school led the way. They were warmly received by the parents of the students and brought us a lot of convenience.

Judging from the rural families we visited, parents are willing to send their children to school under the current education policy. At present, the cost of books in primary schools is within 40 yuan, and the cost of books in junior high schools is not more than that in 70 yuan. Thanks to the efforts of the local government and school teachers, many parents have changed their outdated educational concepts and regarded their children's education as their parents' responsibility to their children. Even if the family's economic conditions are not good, children will be allowed to complete nine-year compulsory education with the help of family and society.

4 Survey summary

Due to time constraints, this research activity is arranged very tightly. In addition, due to the inconvenient transportation, we adjusted the original itinerary and selected several typical towns for investigation. Although the field visit and investigation lasted only a short week, what we saw and heard this week left a deep impression on every member of our practice group.

During the visit to farmers, we saw the contradiction between their actual living conditions and their expectations for their children. I also heard their gratitude to some enthusiastic people for their selfless help to children. However, in the process of talking with local teachers, we also learned that although the children here are in great need of social help, some help can't really be used for their education.

Mobilizing social forces to help poor children is naturally a good thing. However, we should see that the root of such problems is economic conditions. Obviously, to solve this problem, we must first solve the income problem of rural families. The high-altitude countryside we have been to has low temperature all the year round, short frost-free period, few varieties of crops and low yield, and agricultural science and technology is basically not applied here.

On the macro policy, although it is proposed to develop the west and realize the coordinated development between the east and the west, it is beneficial to the rural areas in the west. However, the west does not represent the countryside. If we can clearly put forward the development of rural economy, focus on narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas and realize the coordinated development of urban and rural economy, this will not only solve the practical problems faced by rural population, but also help to realize the harmonious development of the whole society, killing two birds with one stone.

5 Conclusion

/kloc-One morning in July, 0/3, when we walked out of the teachers' dormitory of Slope Hope Primary School and were ready to leave (all the teachers stayed in the neighboring villagers' homes because of our visit), a group of children gathered around us. They took out their own garlands and wild fruits collected from the mountains from behind. They saw that we were free, so they gave it to us and ran away with a smile. President Hou Xinmin and several other teachers also came, put us on the agricultural tricycle and led the children all the way to the hillside. We waved back until the striking red flag disappeared from our sight.