Educating China's poorest children

He Jin, education coordinator for the Ford Foundation in Beijing, explains that the foundation wants to assist China's most disadvantaged group, its minority women. And, Mr. Teng explains: "This will give these girls a chance to focus on studying without worrying about having enough to eat. Lahu women are the leaders, and the hope is that these girls will become intellectuals and cadres, and move their people forward."

After six years, the program will be evaluated to see if it has succeeded. But it is already raising key questions about what constitutes success.

Peng Yunhua, one of the three teachers responsible for the girls, says there have been major problems already: most significantly, the strong bond between the girls and their parents.

"The girls have never left their parents before, and everyone's having problems adjusting," she says. "Whenever the parents come down from the hills to see the girls, they all cry. The girls have tried running away many times. Five girls have already been replaced, after their parents came to beg to take them home."

But Teng stands firm on his policy of isolating the girls, even though it may seem cruel. He says it is to protect them from their surroundings, which will defeat their progress.

The Lahu village of Fumeng illustrates what he means. Located a two-hour hike up a slippery trail from the school, its poverty, isolation, and fatalism have conspired to mold a mentality indifferent to education. Schooling for one year costs $50, while the per-capita income is only $15. And though officials have waived tuition to encourage students to go to school, parents who have never ventured outside the village don't see the point of teaching their kids a few words of Chinese, since they, too, will become subsistence farmers.

Ms. Peng, who is Chinese, so far has had difficulty communicating with the students, who speak only Lahu. From Day 1, their classes have been held only in Chinese, breaking with the tradition in local schools of teaching in Lahu until Grade 3.

"We Lahu people need to learn to speak Chinese, and just because we can speak Chinese doesn't mean we'll lose our culture and language," says Muga's Lahu mayor, Li Xinguang. "We need to communicate with the outside world, learn to farm better, and attract more investment."

Teng warns against speculating too early about the cultural effects of the Lahu girls' program. "The Muga people ... need to learn both Chinese and English, need to learn more ideas, but also protect their own culture," he said in an opening-day speech at the school. But, he added, "People need to eat first. Then they can think about cultural identity."

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