Families reaping the rewards of relocation

He Zhihong's three daughters study in their new home at Tudi'ao town. [Photo provided to China Daily]

What pleases He most is that his five children now all have the opportunity to attend school.

The eldest, He Dandan, 14, began a new semester at Tudi'ao Town Middle School in August. It takes 20 minutes for her to walk from home to school. She eats lunch at the canteen, which offers three dishes and one soup, and likes to borrow books from the school library.

"The new house and school are much better than the previous ones," she said.

He Zhihong said Dandan has made good progress in her studies. He said they don't have to pay for tuition, books and meals.

As a middle school student, Dandan, receives 312.50 yuan in education subsidy every semester, while her four younger siblings, all pupils, are given 250 yuan each. "With these preferential policies, I don't feel much pressure," He Zhihong said.

Tudi'ao Town Middle School is one of the designated educational facilities for poor families moving from remote areas to modern communities in Guizhou. A total of 145 out of 1,354 students at the school are from relocated families.

Wang Guorong, principal of the school, said students whose families had relocated only needed to bring their residence booklets for enrollment.

He added the school is equipped with three teaching buildings, an office building, dormitories for teachers and students, a canteen and a washing facility. "We aim to provide a healthy environment for students, and to contribute to rural culture and education development," Wang said.

Student Ran Honglian, 18, said she doesn't need to walk a long way or rent a room to attend school as she did before relocating. Ran's family shifted 20 kilometers to Datianbao community in 2018.

"Life here is much more comfortable. It's very convenient to go to school, the hospital and the shops," she said.