education

Murdered by her own teacher. Why?

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:13:08 +0200

The classroom where the girl was attacked. Image © Shanghai Oriental Television

Two years ago, 11-year-old Zhang Yaoyin was beaten with a metal bar and thrown from her fourth-floor classroom by her history teacher. On Monday a Chinese chat forum dug up and posted a graphic news report about the incident, reigniting the debate about how such a tragedy came to pass.

The girl, from Yongzhou City, Hunan province, was brutally killed as her secondary school classmates looked on. Her 28-year-old assailant, Li Hengyi, was convicted of murder, but evaded a jail sentence because he was found to be schizophrenic. Although his parents were made to pay a 20,000 yuan medical bill (around €2,100) for the research into their son's mental condition, there was no criminal charges. Eleven-year-old Zhang Yaoyin's mother disputed the sentence, demanding to know how a "mental patient" got a job looking after children. Which is what webusers are asking after a news report originally posted on Youku.com was picked by dzh.mop.com on Monday. The clip contains footage of bloodstains in the classroom where the girl was attacked, and images of her clothes, covered in flies, lying outside the school. It has provoked an emotional response online, where webusers have taken on the investigation themselves, asking whether Chinese schoolteachers are properly vetted for psychopathic tendencies. A secondary school teacher in the country says no.

WARNING, THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES.

The news report, by Shanghai Oriental Television, shows images of Zhang Yaoyin's shoes, hair and clothes and teeth lying on the ground. A child in the class said that Li Hengyi pulled out Zhang Yaoyin's hair when he banged her head against a desk several times.

Mum's not married? No school for you then

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:40:42 +0200

Seven-year-old Xiao Qing's parents weren't married when she was born. Considered illegitimate by the state, she's not allowed to go to school until her mother pays a €900 fee. Not so easy when you're unemployed...

The parents of children born out of wedlock are forced to pay a hefty fine to make them "legitimate" citizens. Without this, the children can't go to school until they get their "hukou", a kind of residency permit delivered by the local authorities' family planning department. The permit comes at a cost of 9000RMB (€900) - a high price for the potential consequences of sex before marriage.

Xiao Qing's mother, unemployed and abandoned by Xiao's father, couldn't afford to pay the fine. For the past two months she appealed to every relevant authority in Zhuhai (south China) to get her daughter into school. But her plea went unheard by the family planning department, the education department, the sub-district office and the local council. So the single mother tried to catch the attention of the local media. Xiao Qing stood outside Gongbei Xiawan Primary School with a sign that read "I am a local child. I want to receive compulsory education, too!" A local journalist did take pity on the seven-year-old, but when he suggested the idea to his paper they refused it. So Han Tao posted the pictures on his blog. He managed to drum up enough support that the local authorities pledged to allow Xiao to go to school. But when she arrived for her first day, the school refused her, saying they didn't have enough places.

Got a degree, now where are the jobs?

Julien — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:01:47 +0100

Material from Zhang, our regional editor for China.

This video shows surging crowds at an employment fair organised by Nanchang University in southeast China. In 1999, China launched a scheme to increase university enrolments and to develop its tertiary - or service - sector. The endeavour seems to have worked: China has a growth rate of 9% per year and boasts unemployment levels of under 5%. But the vibrant Chinese labour market has nevertheless failed to absorb the huge influx of qualified workers being churned out by the country's universities. See below...

Post your questions to Zhang.

From the French suburbs to Washington: reactions to the riots outside Paris

Julien — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:00:00 +0100

Material compiled by Team Observers

Two youths were killed in Villiers-le-Bel, a suburb north of Paris, on Sunday when a police car collided with a moped. The event sparked violent clashes between the police and groups of youths in four neighbouring towns. That night, 64 police officers were injured. The French are hoping that the outbreaks will not spread to other cities as they did in November 2005. This amateur video, posted on Dailymotion.com, was taken at the scene of the accident. We’ve interviewed two local school supervisors (surveillants de lycée), although they wish to remain anonymous. We’re also publishing a reaction by an American blogger, who said, "such a situation wouldn’t happen in the US." You can contact all three of contributors directly on their profile page.

The Orthodox church in Russian schools

Julien — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:10:00 +0100

Material collected by our Russian/former-USSR reporter, Maria Antonova

Classes on the fundamentals of Orthodox culture have been introduced in the schools and universities of several Russian regions. They have become an important part of the curriculum- they are mandatory and graded. Representatives of the Orthodox church recognise that during the Soviet period, atheism and materialism led the population away from the Orthodox culture. Now, parts of Russia are using the religion as a means of reinforcing a national identity. However, Russia is a secular country, where at least one quarter of the population is not Orthodox Christian.