How can education block the intergenerational transmission of poverty?
A "Miracle of College Entrance Examination" in a National Poor County
Our reporter Ji Zhepeng, Ding Yiquan, Sun Min, Jiang Wenyao
In the 2020 college entrance examination, all 6,796 candidates from Huize County, Qujing City, Yunnan Province were online, of which 703 candidates had scores above 600, 2039 were on the line, 5317 were on the undergraduate program, and 11 students were admitted by Peking University and Tsinghua University.
Since 2010, 139 students have been admitted to Peking University and Tsinghua University, of which 47 are poor students; 13,559 students have been admitted to national key universities, 41,281 students have been admitted to undergraduate colleges and universities, 30% of which are poor students who have registered for registration. A large number of children from poor families change their destiny through reading.
This "college entrance miracle" is in sharp contrast with the economic and social development of Huize County.
This is a key county of national poverty alleviation and development work in the concentrated and contiguous area of Wumeng Mountain. How can children in the mountains plant the wings of dreams under the pressure of poverty, so that education can block the intergenerational transmission of poverty?
"The Best College Entrance Examination Class" in a poor county
Starting from Kunming, it took more than 2 hours to drive to Huize Dam surrounded by mountains.
In early September, Inwan High School in Huize County has opened. The campus is covered by green trees. Students wearing red short sleeves are lining up for military training. The sound of lectures and langlang books are heard in the classroom.
After the admission results of the college entrance examination in 2020 were announced, 9 graduates of Inwan High School were admitted by Tsinghua University and Peking University, and 6 of them were concentrated in Class A.
All 42 students in this class were admitted by the "985" and "211" colleges and universities, and were called the "best college entrance examination class" in impoverished counties.
Huize is located in the northeastern part of Yunnan Province, integrating deep mountainous areas, stone mountainous areas, cold areas, dry-hot valley areas, and mudslides and landslides. Among 1.068 million people, there are 341,700 poverty-stricken populations registered and registered. The poverty area is large and the level of poverty is large. Shen, one of the 52 uncapped poor counties in the country.
It is amazing and puzzling that Class A of 2017 can achieve such results.
"In addition to student hard work and various mechanism guarantees, an excellent class teacher is very important." Fu Fei, the principal of Inwan High School, gave the answer.
On the campus of Inwan High School, the reporter met Zou Meiling, the head teacher of the Class A of 2017.
Compared with the bullishness of the "most cattle college entrance examination class", Zou Meiling is gentle and elegant, and has the style of a modest gentleman.
Facing the praise from the outside world, he appeared calm.
"The work of the class teacher is very trivial, mainly busy with solving various problems of the students. At the end of the day, I often feel that I have not done anything, but I feel that there is not enough time." He said.
The Inwan High School, which was established in 2008, welcomed its first graduates in 2011. By this year, there were just 10 graduates. A total of 99 graduates were admitted by Tsinghua University and Peking University.
Zou Meiling believes that Inwan High School can achieve such results, the key lies in the word "bitter".
At Inwan High School, students get up at 6:30 in the morning and go to bed at 11:30 in the evening.
Zou Meiling has been like a day for several years. He arrives at school before 6:30 in the morning and leaves after 11:30 in the evening. During this period, he stays in school to solve various difficulties encountered in study and life for students.
Zou Meiling's persistence allowed him to establish prestige among the students.
"In a poor county like Huize, high school has to endure hardship, and if you don't endure hardship, you won't be admitted to a good university." Zou Meiling said.
Zhang Qinfang, who was admitted to Peking University this year, was a student of Zou Meiling.
In the home of Yubei Village, Yuche Town, Huize County, the documented household clear card posted on the wall shows that: the 50-year-old father has a disability, the family is impoverished due to the disability, there are 3 siblings in the family, and the elder brother is out. Working, my younger brother is still in high school.
In addition to planting the land at home, her mother also helped some villagers who went out to work, planting more than 10 acres of land, planting corn, peppers, etc.
Zhang Qinfang and his younger brother are in high school, and each has an annual subsidy of 2500 yuan.
Speaking of his school experience over the years, Zhang Qinfang was full of emotion.
She said: "When I was in elementary school, the school was far away from home. I got up at 6:30 every morning and went to school with a flashlight in the winter. It was very cold. My parents attached great importance to reading, and even when I was sick, they were reluctant to spend money to go to the doctor and save food. Thrifty gritted his teeth for us to go to school."
In the school, Zou Meiling and other teachers have to resolve the suffering of students.
In order to get rid of poverty, many people in Huize go out to work, and the children become left-behind children.
In Inwan High School, some left-behind students accounted for one-third of the class, and the teacher should solve their ideological problems and establish a teacher-student relationship of "teacher, friend and relative".
Wumeng Mountain Watcher
Zou Meiling is one of more than 1,500 high school staff in Huize.
"Everyone is proud of our college entrance examination results. I am most proud of our teachers." said Zhang Hong, secretary of the Huize County Education and Sports Working Committee and director of the county education and sports bureau.
In Huize County, a large number of teachers who watch their hometown are the backbone of education development.
Among them, Fu Fei is known as the "principal professional household".
He started working in 1996, from the village primary school to the township central school, from the township junior high school to the county-level general high school, and worked as the principal for more than 20 years.
Many teachers believe that the characteristic of the education team in Huize County is that "professional people do professional things." From the director and section chief of the county education and sports bureau to the principals of various schools, they have served for more than ten or twenty years. Teachers, know very well where the teaching problems are and what teachers need.
The issues concerning the separation of husbands and wives in two places, which are related to the stability of the teaching staff, are all included in the agenda.
At present, the county has resolved the separation of 132 pairs of teachers and husbands in townships (towns), so that teachers can teach in towns and villages with peace of mind.
At the same time, "not talking about qualifications but about ability" stimulates people's confidence in starting a business.
"In many places, it is necessary to discuss seniority. Huize has broken this convention. As long as the teachers want to work and can work, they will provide you with opportunities." Fu Fei, for example, has two "airborne" in his career: 2009 In the year, he was "airborne" from Dajing Town Central School as the principal of Admiralty No. 2 Middle School; in 2014, "airborne" as the principal of Inwan High School.
Through channels such as special post teacher recruitment, targeted recruitment, and government purchase of services, Huize County has continuously supplemented and optimized the teaching team.
Since 2016, the county has recruited 2,569 new teachers to meet the needs of relocated schools and newly built high schools.
In Huize County, a job that has persisted for more than 10 years is regarded by Zhang Hong as an effective measure to enhance teachers' teaching enthusiasm.
"Since 2005, we have organized high school and junior high school teachers to take mock exams every year, single-person and single-seat, and the test papers are uniformly corrected, and the results are finally announced. At the beginning, some people were reluctant, but after the first year of the test, some teachers even passed the test. The score is not reached, which forces the teacher to study teaching seriously." Zhang Hong said.
Zou Meiling also took the mock exam.
"I have taken the chemistry simulation college entrance examination for 8 years, two of which are not full marks, which reminds me that I can't slack off." He said.
Yang Bin, director of the Department of Teacher Education and Associate Professor of the Department of Education of Yunnan Normal University, believes that in the poverty-stricken and backward areas, for the smooth progress of education reform, there must be a group of local people who are trained and willing to contribute to the education of their hometown.
"After the first-line teachers are over 40 years old, their motivation and passion for learning will decline. There must be an institutional incentive mechanism for this, and teachers must see the benefits of teaching and research, so that they can learn with students and make progress in practice." Yang Bin think.
Despite feelings, management and motivation must walk on two legs.
In this regard, Huize County’s government invests 6 million yuan every year for commending and rewarding education and teaching quality, implements special government allowances for outstanding backbone teachers in ordinary high schools, and invests 2 million yuan every year to reward outstanding teachers, forming a clear guiding role in respecting teachers and valuing education. .
On September 9 this year, Huize County gave 80 advanced collectives in educational work, 100 advanced individuals in educational work, 80 prestigious school (park) heads, 100 head teachers, 100 teachers, and 48 advanced individuals in respect of teachers and education. , 26 advanced collectives in donation and education and 6 advanced individuals in donation and education were commended. The scope and number of people are rare in poor counties.
"No tipping, no super middle school"
The results of the college entrance examination in 2020 were announced. The first graduates of Huize Donglu High School, which has only been in operation for three years, ranked first in the county. Two students were admitted by Tsinghua University and Peking University with outstanding results.
Huize County originally had Inwang High School, Huize No.1 Middle School and Experimental High School, each with its own characteristics, and it has long been a famous school.
For Donglu High School, which started enrolling students in the fall of 2017, it is not easy to stand out.
"If everyone is not on the starting line of balanced student quality and there is no healthy competition environment, we definitely cannot achieve such results. To achieve a school, you must first have students, and then you can talk about teachers and management." Deng Yuyong, principal of Donglu High School, has experienced. The disorderly enrollment competition is deeply touched by this.
"Not pinching the tip" is the general consensus of local educators.
The reporter learned that the Huize Education Department has been strictly implementing recruitment and recruitment of high schools for more than ten years. The High School Education Group (Education Consortium) has been established with Indwang High School as the leader and other schools. The member's general high school group mode of running schools allows all high schools to go hand in hand.
"The results we have achieved do not rely on pinching the top to form a good source of students, but dicing enrollment. The slicing range was determined long before the high school entrance examination results were announced. This year, the county's high school entrance examination champion was not included in our enrollment scope. It also has little effect. For example, Li Jixin, who was admitted to Peking University this year, scored more than 200 students in the county." Fu Fei said.
Although all high schools have good results, there are no "super middle schools" in Huize County, and there are no middle schools with a scale of tens of thousands of people. Local educators generally hold a negative attitude towards "super middle schools".
Gu Rui, vice principal of Donglu High School, believes that Huize does not overemphasize a certain school and does not prioritize teacher resources and student resources. In a high school, students with various grades will also consider the allocation of teachers.
"This year, Donglu High School's scribing schools include Jinzhong Town No. 1 Middle School in the urban area and Daqiao Middle School, Malu Middle School, and Nagu Middle School in the township. It is impossible to pinch the tip." Gu Rui said.
"Each high school implements rolling enrollment to avoid the'school choice fever', and a healthy competition pattern can be formed between schools so that students can enjoy high-quality educational resources in a balanced manner." Zhang Hong said, "There are so many top students in a county. If one school is pinched, then other schools will not run well."
"Rural families and file holders are unable to find good schools on the road, let alone the money to buy a school district housing. After the quality of teaching in all high schools in the county has been improved, you can get high-quality teachers when you go to school in a slice." Fu Fei said .
Yang Bin believes that the reasonable allocation of student sources through the high school rolling dicing enrollment is actually a healthy competition for schools, which not only avoids the solidification of school districts, but also avoids problems such as large classes and even related households caused by excessive concentration of resources. .
More importantly, this is especially important for children from rural families in poor areas. The balance of educational resources means fair opportunities.
The wind rises at the end of Qingping
It takes more than 10 years for a student to go from elementary school to the college entrance examination, and Huize's "college entrance examination miracle" did not come into being overnight.
Many teachers recalled that 2002 was the "watershed" of Huize Education.
In the same year, there were large areas of civil and brick-timbered school buildings and D-grade dilapidated buildings in Huize County; a large number of students went out to study to receive high-quality education. Only 623 people in the county's college entrance examination were online, and the high school entrance examination scores ranked first in Qujing City. .
"In 2002, when I started as a primary school principal, I was deeply impressed by these changes. Before 2002, the school had no financial rights. The funds allocated to township schools were also allocated to the financial office instead of directly to the school. It turned out that the personnel rights were in the township. The party committee and government are under the management of the Education Bureau in terms of business, and there have even been cases where some principals were replaced by the township, but the Education Bureau did not know it.” Fu Fei recalled.
In more than 10 years, how has the education of this impoverished county achieved a leap?
Since 2002, Huize Education Reform has begun.
First around 2003, the senior and junior high schools were separated according to the principle of “centralizing high schools in the county”. By the end of 2008, the original 10 middle schools were planned as Huize No. 1 High School, Huize Experimental High School, and Huize Indwang High schools, these three high schools are all in the county seat.
"High schools are concentrated in counties, so that there are no geographical differences between schools." Deng Yuyong recalled that some high schools used to be in urban areas and some were in towns. The school conditions and transportation conditions were different. Most students and teachers preferred county towns. In the middle school, the source of students and teachers are different.
After the high schools were concentrated in the county towns, the conditions for running schools became more consistent and the competitive environment became more fair, which led to the implementation of group-based schooling and enrollment.
At the same time, Huize launched a combination of education reforms to consolidate the "county-based" education management system.
Personnel rights are transferred to the Education Bureau and the administrative levels of all schools are cancelled.
To this day, all high school principals, junior high school principals, and central school principals in Huize County are appointed by the education administration department. The multi-head and multi-level cross-management of personnel appointments in the education industry has ended, and the unity of human rights and powers has been achieved.
Reform the affiliation of township schools.
After 2002, Huize County took the lead in abolishing the township (town) education office in the city, establishing a township (town) central school, abolishing the subordination relationship between the township (town) central school and the township (town) middle school, and the township (town) middle school and the township The central schools are directly managed by the county education administrative department to avoid the phenomenon of prevarication and waiting, reliance, and demand due to multiple management levels.
Innovating the educational system and mechanism, the Huize County High School Education Group (Education Consortium) was established to integrate the existing 4 high school education resources to achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages; 9 regular high school county-level subject center teaching and research sections were established, and there are No, join forces to tackle key problems.
Build a management model of "School Finance Bureau Management".
After 2002, the county education bureau unified the salaries and official expenses of primary and secondary school teachers and received the county’s payment, and explored the establishment of an accounting center to establish an integrated financial management of pre-settlement to ensure primary and secondary school teachers’ salaries and various educational funds Disbursement on time and in full.
"To achieve such results, in the final analysis, the previous leadership of the county party committee and county government have insisted that Qingshan will not relax, a blueprint will be drawn to the end, and the education system will be decentralized, persevering, and long-term success." Zhang Hong said.
This year, Huize will usher in poverty alleviation, and work with the rest of the country to move towards a comprehensive well-off.
Looking forward to education in poor areas, there is still a long way to go.
According to the calculation that the gross enrollment rate of high schools in Huize County will reach 90%, there will be nearly 30,000 students in ordinary high schools in the next few years, and about 9,000 new degrees will be needed.
To this end, Huize County actively strives for 910 million yuan for the construction of ordinary high schools, builds Zhiyuan High School, Dacheng High School, and Wenyuan High School in the county, adding 180 teaching classes to 9,000 degrees, and solving the problem of net increase in schooling for students.
Zhang Hong and Fu Fei believe that to consolidate the quality of poverty alleviation and promote rural revitalization, party committees and governments at all levels should pay more attention to the development of county-level education.
Counties and townships are the places where poor people are most concentrated. Only by paying attention to the education of rural students can the results of poverty alleviation be stable and the results can be long-term.