Young legislator places education first

During this year's NPC annual conference, Tie presented her proposals on additional funds for schools in Yunnan's mountainous regions and suburban areas of Kunming, based on 10 surveys she organized in Zhaotong and Kunming last year.

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In a small village in Yiliang county, Tie met one teacher who was in charge of 80 students, ranging from the first grade to the fifth. "A third-grade student was not able to do addition and subtraction with double digits, which my 2-year-old daughter can do. It was pretty sad," Tie says.

Teachers in rural schools earn much less money than those who work in urban schools, according to Tie's survey. Rural teachers are paid an average of 1,700 to 1,800 yuan ($273-$289) a month, just 55 percent of the average income for teachers in cities.

Tie proposed that the central government provide more funds to upgrade the rural education system.

Tie says a deputy should keep their eyes open to observe other social issues. She was shocked when she saw 4- and 5-year-olds smoking cigarettes in Puji village in Kunming.

The suburban village has only two government-funded kindergartens, and they are unable to meet the high demand for childcare. Most of the Puji men drive taxis and their wives play cards or mahjong, while their children play with cigarettes for entertainment.

"The kids hurried to stop smoking when the adults came. Sometimes, they did it too fast and their palms were burned," says Yang Lin, an anti-smoking volunteer in Kunming. "The fundamental problem is lack of public kindergartens, good teachers and facilities."

Tie reads everything she can get hold of concerning education, and has studied the reforms of the country's education system. In the past year, Tie researched the NPC system and reviewed all speeches made by the NPC Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang. She went to hear Zhang's delivery of his annual report on March 9.

"It's a process of learning by doing as other deputies do - the ultimate purpose is to make a difference," she says.

Li Yingqing and Guo Anfei contributed to this story.