Female migrant workers in the southern city of Shenzhen are
increasingly choosing to hit the schoolbooks to improve their life
prospects.
"Studying helps me keep abreast of our ever-changing society,"
said Luo Jinying, a soft-spoken woman in her early 20s who works as
the HR administrator of a local LCD factory.
Her job prospects were not always so high. When Luo first came
to Shenzhen from the city of Heyuan in Guangdong in 2002, she had
only a middle school-level education. Because of her academic
background, the only job she was qualified to do was work on an
assembly line.
"I came to realize that if I were ever going to get a better
job, I would have to do much more to increase my knowledge," Luo
said.
Luo decided to change course and spent most of her free time
over the next three years working toward a university certificate
in computer science.
"Having acquired so much new knowledge, I was soon promoted to
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) quality
controller and then transferred from the factory to the company's
human resources and logistics department," Luo said with a
smile.
Luo is now enrolled in a bachelor's degree program and majoring
in economics.
"I believe that the knowledge I gain from the course will help
me with my future career," Luo told China Daily.
Shenzhen is home to 1.6 million female migrant workers,
according to figures provided by the Shenzhen statistic bureau.
"Female migrant workers have become a driving force of
Shenzhen's social and economic development, and so their
professional development has a large effect on the city," Yang
Sizhong, a visiting professor to Shenzhen University, said.
"Migrant workers are increasingly eager to acquire new knowledge
and techniques, and we will do whatever we can to meet their
expectations," said a recent report by Shenzhen's government.
Since its establishment in 1980, Shenzhen has developed three
educational platforms culture, professional training and academic
qualifications, giving migrant workers a variety of choices for
furthering their professional development.
Zheng Yanping is another worker who has benefited from
education. Though she is some 20 years older than Luo, her zeal for
knowledge appears to be no less intense.
"Opportunities are only reserved for those who are ready to take
them," Zheng said. "You have to believe that your hard work will
pay off."
Zheng, a native of Guangdong's Shaoguan, was lured to Shenzhen
by the prospect of finding work in a factory in 1982, making her
part of what some people call "Shenzhen's first generation of
female migrant workers".
Zheng received her master's degree in law in 1999.
"Today's migrant workers enjoy much better living and working
conditions than we did they should seize these chances to better
develop themselves," Zheng said.
"As long as they study hard and keep their dreams alive, they
will reap a fine harvest."
Zheng made these remarks not long after being reunited with some
of the women with whom she originally worked 25 years ago. Chen
Xiaoxia, Liang Min, Chen Xiaowei and Zheng Mei'e all worked with
Zheng Yanping at a factory when they first came to Shenzhen.
But how times have changed. Chen Xiaoxia and Liang Min both now
own their own restaurants in the city. Chen Xiaowei is the
vice-director of the Bao'an branch of the China Merchant Bank.
Zheng Mei'e became the finance manager of a Shekou's local
newspaper after studying in accounting while simultaneously working
in a factory some 20 years ago.
"We were known as the first group of female migrant workers in
Shenzhen. Another thing we all have in common is that we never
stopped studying, no matter how harsh the living or working
environment was," Zheng said.
"Studying has given me everything that I have today."
(China Daily February 2, 2007)