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RELATED THEMES development economics social change OTHER THEMES IN SW COLLECTION THEMES IN NE COLLECTION BACKGROUND |
education in the southwest collection
Despite some feelings of disadvantage, even inferiority, with respect to the educated, several women are proud of what they have taught themselves in terms of literacy and numeracy, and how they have demonstrated entrepreneurial and bargaining skills. "I went to primary school until I was grade three. I cannot read and write [but] as I have been managing the money matters of the family all these years, I have to go to the market and I learned how to count and read [money]…" (China 11). Another narrator makes a similar point: "I don't know English and I cannot understand much about Mandarin. My husband was not as clever as I was when we went to market to sell the piglet. He said, 'This old sister is clever even [though] she's had no education.'… What did my husband know? I was the one who reared the pigs but not him… I did some bargaining and got 125 yuan for one pig." (China 2). Most people feel it is important to educate girls as well as boys, and say school enrolment bears this out. However, if money is short, most agree that boys will be favoured. One woman's story reveals how, against many odds, she became a "substitute" teacher, one who fills positions where are there no fully qualified candidates available (isolated rural areas are not popular among those who have completed the training). "My dad said to me, 'It's good enough for you to finish the middle school. We don't have money to send you to study further…' At that time I wrote to one of my friends and said, 'My family is like a fortress. There is no freedom.'… I really hated my mum and dad at that time… If I were a male, my dad would certainly love me a lot. At least, he would send me to university." Her father several times denied her the chance to take up work and training opportunities. Eventually she married and was offered teaching work at her husband's school: "I am fulfilled in this way… I have enrolled for the distance learning course [to become a fully qualified teacher]… We learned many things about the methodologies of teaching…" (China 3). The wife of a school teacher who has lived away from home most of the time, clearly resents the prestige associated with her husband's position (it seems she has to do much entertaining of visitors whenever he returns to the family home). She feels that it is her hard work that has provided the food, shelter and school fees their children need, and so she is absolutely furious at being looked down on by him: "My husband always said, 'Get rid of the illiterate! Get rid of the illiterate!' Meaning me - I didn't know how to read - and he wanted to get rid of the illiterate… He said that, and I was mad at him. I quarrelled with him. I said 'The Secretary General still wants the illiterate. You said I'm an illiterate and you don't want me, what kind of teacher are you? …Without me - this illiterate - would you have anything to eat?' I was so mad. I had spent my whole life supporting these children" (China 2). quotes about education"After middle school, [my son] failed the exam for the high school. The teacher said that he was five marks lower than the requirement. My son asked us to let him repeat the class for a year… However, we didn't agree… So sometimes he blames us. We were too pigheaded… Now when I think about it, I'm really regretful. If we were not that stubborn and were willing to support him to study, he probably would be a university student now…" "If I go [to market] I'll be cheated by others… a woman can only go to sell if her husband's dad goes together with her or if she goes with other people. I dare not sell corn… If we want to buy rice, his dad will go to sell some corn and buy the rice back. We women dare not to do business. There are some opportunists who don't weigh the produce correctly, we dare not do selling; only literate people dare to go." "My dad and my mum taught [Miao characters] from my childhood… My dad could read both Han and Miao characters, he had attended school. My mum knew only Miao characters but not Han. But she knew every Miao character, there was no one character she didn't know. If you randomly picked up a book for her, she could read all of it." "Now the number of boys and girls who go to school are nearly the same… Some children can't keep up with the studying. Some can't go because they have fewer labourers in the family. Some can't go because of their financial difficulties." "Some parents do support [their children's education]. They realise that if they don't have education they are backward; if they are backward they can only depend on others for their living. But school books are too expensive. Parents have no money to pay for the books, and can't find any money. People who are in that kind of situation won't allow their children to go [to school]" "[In the literacy class] they studied things about chemical weed killer, pig rearing, vegetable pickling, proverbs, singing, dancing, book-keeping, etc." "When my first son went to school, I gave him 3000 to 4000 yuan. My two daughters also wanted to go to school but they failed the enrolment exam. I would risk my life to support them if they passed the exam. I borrowed money to support my first son. I told him, 'You get it now. Your old mum is here, and your younger brother. I will also risk my old life to send your brother to school.'" "One needs knowledge even if one stays at home. Now people feed pigs and chicken by scientific technique. If you don't go to school, you can't understand…about scientific pig-feeding" "[Miao girls] were bullied during their study, so they came back [from secondary school]. At the beginning, they were very enthusiastic in their studies. But when they studied to grade 2 and grade 3, they couldn't continue. Mostly because of others' bullying, those people criticised Miao people and said many unpleasant words… Miao people, especially the girls…cannot bear being insulted." |
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Educating their children is an overriding concern of these narrators, many of whom had no chance of schooling themselves. Distances children have to travel are sometimes considerable and the fees constitute a major household expense, but most women are clear that any sacrifices are worth it. Several say that illiteracy has made them vulnerable to being cheated at the market, and they feel strongly that it is holding back their development, because they can't read about new ideas. 
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Summary
