Yale students teach migrant children in Beijing
- Source: Global Times
- [01:52 March 10 2010]
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By Yang Jie
Hundreds of pupils at a school for children of migrant workers in Shijingshan district in Beijing are attending a special week long course taught by a group of foreign students from Yale University.
Thirteen students from Yale worked with 14 middle school students from the Changsha Yali Middle School, a prestigious school in Hunan Province, to offer lessons in English, science subjects and more. The school principal said it is the third time that such an initiative has taken place at Shuren School.
Rachel Wang, a sophomore in Economics and International Studies at Yale, is one of the initiators of the program. She told the Global Times that students at Yale attach great importance to community service like this, and applicants who showed interest in China as well as child education were selected.
"Most of us are in China for the first time, it's an interesting and significant experience to learn different things here," she said, adding that the Shuren pupils are smart and eager to learn but lack selfconfidence.
A Yali student surnamed Wang said the conditions at this school are much worse than expected. "Some reports only said education for migrant children has improved a great deal, but actually there are still big problems concerning the facilities and teaching."
The principal of Shuren said the initiative would certainly help to broaden the children's horizons and help them improve their English. "I think that what is the most important is that these students from a worldrenowned university can set a good example for them," he said.
"Frankly, it's impossible for us to teach them so much in such a short time. They are so excited to learn, we are just trying to give them some hope," said one of the volunteers.
Wang Hao, a 12yearold pupil from Henan province, said he likes the courses he is attending, especially the experiments taught in class. "My parents are refuse collectors and I hope that in the future I can study at Tsinghua University."
Rachel said she hopes this will become an annual voluntary project. And Yale graduate Jason Petsch, now a foreign teacher at Yali, said he would come back if possible.
Thousands of pupils in Chaoyang district may not be able to continue their studies as their schools are set to be demolished to make way for the city's expansion. "Education for children should be based on construction rather than demolition. The expansion of the city will still rely on migrant workers," said a Yali volunteer.
