Teacher's commitment to his class continues past retirement

However, for students living in the mountainous areas that lack access to transportation, it is not easy to complete their schooling.

"In the late 1980s when students had to pay tuition fees for primary education, the dropout rate in the villages was high because students and their parents could barely afford the costs," Dong says. He would offer the dropouts financial support to ensure they went to school.

Dong has always been concerned about the children left behind in the villages by their migrant parents. When he reached the age of retirement in 2018, he decided to stay on and continue to dedicate himself to the career he loves so much.

In Hunan province, many retired teachers like Dong have returned to classrooms, thanks to a project that invites them to continue their teaching career.

Hunan plans to recruit about 350 retired teachers, who have rich experience in education, for the 2021 academic year.

In Chaling county where Dong works and lives, there are 2,280 rural teachers. The county's education authority has issued a spate of policies, such as improving their salary and offering benefits, to encourage teachers to base themselves in the countryside.

Dong hopes the villages will be able to attract more young teachers in the future. "Although we don't have too many students, they still have the right to be equally educated. Younger teachers cannot only teach students plenty of subjects, such as music and fine arts, but also help them learn more about the outside world.

"Teaching is both my hobby and my mission. As an older teacher, there is no such thing as retirement," Dong says.