Education quality improved in Laixi to fight poverty

The role of education in poverty eradication, in close co-operation with other social sectors, is crucial. Not only is education important in reducing poverty, it is also a key to wealth creation. Since the beginning of the anti-poverty battle, Laixi, a county-level city in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, has made education a priority in improving living standards. It has always promoted “innovative, collaborative, green, open and shared” education as well as encouraged the balanced development of education through innovative working methods.

First, reform in the mode of running schools. Since the spring semester of 2016, a policy of setting up branches of elite schools, founding school alliances, and mutual help has utilized the capacity of elite schools to boost the performance of disadvantaged schools. This reform has also narrowed the gap in education quality between urban and rural areas, and between individual schools. It has responded to the public demand for good educational resources in Laixi.

Second, optimized school configuration. In 2016, construction and expansion work was undertaken on 4 urban schools, exemplified by Jinan Road Middle school, with the aim of reducing class sizes in urban schools. Rural school construction was accelerated too—3 projects were implemented in underdeveloped towns and villages, exemplified by Zhuangfu Middle School. Improving the configuration and operating conditions of schools helps to optimize the use of rural educational resources.

Third, balanced allocation of teaching staff. Overall, the city recruited 220 new teachers in 2016. More than half of them were Music, PE, Arts, IT, and English teachers. These were all allocated to rural schools to improve the quality of teachers and compensate for an aging demographic. A strict allocation process was followed in order to promote a rational flow of talent. Urban teachers were asked to provide support education in rural schools, and outstanding school principals and middle-range officials were assigned to job rotation and educational exchanges in disadvantaged rural schools. A Rural School Support System conducted by Municipal Instructors and Researchers, and a Teaching and Research Community System conducted by urban and rural schools were established, to optimize the allocation of outstanding teachers.