Eleven-year-old He Mengxia has switched primary schools three times in the past five years, and Yongtai Primary School is her first state-run school.

 

"I like my new school. It's better equipped, it's not as crowded as my previous schools, and it's not far from home. Most important, I love the teachers here. They treat us nice and give really good lessons," said He.

 

He Mengxia is one of the 15,000 migrant students in Haidian District, Beijing, redirected from unregistered self-run schools to state-run ones, following the July 12 issue of the Haidian District Education Commission (HDEC) circular ordering the closure of 37 self-run schools.

 

Self-run schools for migrant students mushroomed in Beijing after 1996 because most state-run schools enroll only local residents, or admit migrant students only if they pay hefty extra fees. Founded by retired rural teachers, a lot of these schools are poorly-equipped due to a lack of funds.

 

Luan Xinli, vice director with the Educational News Communication Center of Haidian District, reiterated last week that self-run schools are unregistered and substandard, quoting safety and hygiene problems and a lack of qualified teachers.

 

China's newly revised Compulsory Education Law rules that the safety of students and teachers at school must be ensured. The law came into effect on September 1 this year.

 

The Haidian District government has allocated over 13 million yuan (US$1.6 million) to refurbish state-run schools so that they can take in migrant students.

 

Luan Xinli said the admission of migrant students to state-run schools is a huge project and cannot be carried out overnight.

 

"It takes time to deal with all the different aspects, but we are doing our best," she said.

 

Luan said statistics show that more than 4,000 out of 15,000 migrant students in the district have so far registered at state-run schools, and that "they are doing just fine," although most students chose to stay in self-run unregistered schools that refused to close.

 

"Some state-run schools," Luan said, "have opened new classes or even new campuses specifically for migrant students; other schools fit the new migrant students into their already-existing classes together with students from urban families."

 

"No matter how the schools arrange their classes, the migrant students are gradually getting used to their new schools, and are enjoying them," said Luan.

 

Twelve-year-old Tang Shuai said he was satisfied with his new school, Yongtai Primary School.

 

"The campus is clean, and the teachers -- they never use swear words. And I'm really having fun with my new friends here," said Tang.

 

Yongtai Primary School, one of the largest primary schools in Haidian District, recruited 111 migrant students this year.

 

Zhao Yuling, the principal, said, "We opened a third campus just for migrant students, and have sent our best teachers to teach there."

 

She said the school did not integrate migrant students into its two already-existing campuses because the classes there are already too full.

 

Beijing Education Commission limits primary school classes to a maximum of 45 students. According to Zhao Yuling, there are more than 50 students in each class of Yongtai's first two campuses.

 

Another two state-run schools in Haidian District have opened new campuses just for migrant students, while other schools have put the students into classes with urban students.

 

Jushan Primary School and Beiwu Primary School are among the earliest schools to receive migrant students. Over 90 percent of Jushan's students are from migrant families while the percentage in Beiwu reaches 98 percent, according to Beiwu's principal Si Changshui.

 

Wang Jiaping, who works in a scrap-metal retrieval company, has two children studying at Beiwu Primary School.

 

He said his children felt comfortable and at ease in their new school , contrary to what he expected.

 

"I was worried students from urban families might look down upon my kids. But Wang Ya, my son, who is in the sixth grade at Beiwu, said most of his classmates are from similar family backgrounds, and students from urban families do not feel superior to them," Wang Jiaping said.

 

Wang Shuqing, principal of Jushan Primary School, said Jushan has been receiving migrant students since 1996, so the teachers are experienced in dealing with them.

 

She said the teachers treat migrant and urban students in exactly the same fashion.

 

"In Jushan, the only difference between migrant students and student from urban families is that they were born in different places, that's all," said Wang.

 

She said the school encourages students to develop self-confidence by prompting them to take part in various activities and competitions, like calligraphy, so that they can be "responsible, capable and happy members" of the school.

 

HEDC official Luan Xinli said, "The kids don't care about their classmates' family background. Yesterday, they didn't know each other; today they are best friends."

 

She said the closure of unregistered self-run schools ensures the safety of migrant students, and that migrant students and urban students have an equal right to the best possible education in the district.

 

However, according to the HDEC, only 4,000 of the 15,000 migrant students have so far taken up the offer. Some 1,000 chose to go back to school in their hometown, while another 10,000 chose to stick with the self-run schools that refused to close.

 

The official said, "The number is not confirmed because it is hard to track down the migrant population."

 

Only 9 out of 37 unregistered self-run schools in Haidian have closed in accordance with the HDEC circular.

 

Xie Zhenqing, principal of Hongxing School for Migrant Students, said the reason why most students refuse to go to state-run schools is higher school fees.

 

Hongxing School for Migrant Students is one of the 28 self-run schools that refused to close down as ordered. It enrolled over 1600 students, 200 more than last year, as students from the 9 closed schools clamored to get in.

 

Hongxing School charges primary students no more than 450 yuan per semester.

 

A HEDC official said according to the Beijing Education Commission regulations, all state-run schools can only charge students 40 yuan, plus the cost of books each semester. Luan did not give specific numbers for the cost of books, but emphasized that state-run schools charge less than self-run ones.

 

According to Wang Shuqing, principal of Jushan Primary School, the cost per student per semester is 180 yuan.

 

But Wang Jiaping, father of Wang Ya who is now studying at Beiwu Primary School, said he paid close to 600 yuan per semester for his son, including a 200-yuan extra charge for students without permanent Beijing residence, even though HDEC assured that no extra fees would be levied.

 

Wang said he spends more than 60 percent of his income on his children's education, and that he would send his son back to his hometown after finishing primary school, because "it costs too much here."

 

Wang earns about 2,000 yuan each month, much higher than most migrant workers who get less than 1,000 per month on average.

 

Xie also said state-run schools require students' families to produce the "five certificates" -- a temporary residence permit, work permit, proof of residence, certificate from the place of origin, and household registration booklet -- to be enrolled.

 

Yet Zhao Yuling, principal of Yongtai Primary School, said students without the "five certificates" can still be enrolled at Yongtai. She said only 62 of the 111 migrant students enrolled at Yongtai have got the "five certificates."

 

She added that it takes less than 20 days to apply for all "five certificates," and that "responsible parents should apply for those documents if the schools require them."

 

He Mengxia said, "I don't want to switch schools again. But if it costs too much to attend school here, I will have to return to a school in my hometown."

 

"After all, it's not my first time," she said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2006)