Translated by Chen Shuling

Education in western China develops rapidly

Since the Reform & Opening in 1978, the education in western China has developed a lot. The conditions for running schools have improved greatly owing to the increasing educational investment from the country government, the inclining policy to education by local government, the public raising funds, the donation of insightful people and the financial assistance of factories and enterprises. In recent years especially, by the Third Project for Poverty-stricken Areas, the first-phase and the second-phase Information Technology Education Program, compulsory education, loan and donation, popularization of 9-year-long compulsory education, boarding schools in countrysides, and some projects cooperated with foreign countries, the country has made great efforts to improve schooling conditions and carry out the train of personnel, which leads to the breakthrough of the building of basic school facilities, people's view of education and the school running level. New-built schools with various buildings, reasonable layout and beautiful environment can be seen in quite a few places. The Party and government, the media and the social communities all show the concern for education in every aspect.

Education in western China develops unevenly for big debt

The backwardness of current education is caused by some historical reason that the local culture and economics has been fallen behind for a long time. It's not that easy to develop economics and change the view as expected. The problems that people attend to one thing and lose another and face too many difficulties happen from time to time in the development of education in western China because of its big debt. There's unbalanced development in most of the western areas too. Especially, in some remote areas or areas where the culture falls far behind, the actualities of education are still very worrying. The actualities are not like what the media report as it's unfair that the media and the public usually describe the education in western China so backward. The backwardness should be noticed while the rapid development of education in western China shouldn't be neglected either. The efforts made by the Party and the government, especially those at various levels in western areas as well as the public can't be denied. Neither should the achievement and the determination to set up education.

Know difference and find solutions for further development

To know the difference between education in western China and that in eastern China, and the backwardness of education in western China, to summarize the successful experience of the development, and to find out better and more ways to develop education in western China are what we should do.

Some problems in western China education

- Talents are said to be in short supply while many local talents are seriously wasted. Talents are not regarded important in practical work, not to say the fully development and use of talent resources.

- The backwardness of western China rural education is due to both the economics and the system, but more importantly, the view of all levels in the whole society.

- The combination of science and education in rural places almost hasn't begun rather than being insuficient. People think after the graduation from high schools, the knowledge gained is useless in society. Kids who are unlikely to enter universities don't care study any more. They have to drop out of schools as soon as possible to work part-time. People there don't take it into account or even don't believe at all that the increase of the culture level of society (directly speaking, the years of being educated) can bring immeasurable benefits to the development of society and economics.

- The most important change is the change of views which will lead to the solution to the problems about system and economics to change the actualities of western China education. The way from the government to the public should be taken to run schools by the government first as the Party and the government's behavior is the essential factor. About human resources, local talents should be developed and used first and to the fullest extent.

- Besides the policies and measures from the government to the public, there're also motivity from parents, the public. Thus, the trend to develop is overwhelming in an efficient cycle.

The western area is making efforts with the support from the whole nation. The country is giving preferential conditions and the world is paying attention to it. The education in western China will catch up in a short time. With the revival of education and the development of economics, the western area will have a bright future.