Balancing between economic growth and Quality Education

1. Balancingbetweeneconomicgrowth and Quality Education Perspective on Rural Areas in China

2. Hanns Seidel Foundation in China • HSF is a German funded organization operating in 63 countries • In 1975 Mao Zedong and later Bavarian Prime Minister Franz-Josef Straußconclude areas of cooperation • Better living conditions through Development of Rural Areas • Integration of the people to decision making processes (People to People Dialogue) • Vocational Education and Training in order to create “fair jobs” and help mitigate poverty • = Education for Sustainable Development since 2015

3. Overview • Problems facing rural areas: The Hukou System and Left behind Children • Education in Rural Areas • Teacher trainings in ESD: Empowering teachers to think holistically

4. The hukou System In China, social welfare benefits – including schooling – are tied to the household register • A Chinese citizen is only entitled to welfare benefits of the place of his or hers hukou registration • It is extremely difficult to change a hukou registration Schoolingisonlyfreeofchargewithingthejurisdictionofone‘shukou

5. Left-Behind Children There are more than 58 mill. left-behind children in China. This means, almost one in four children grows up separated from one or both parents

6. Education in Rural Areas I • Malnutrition and Anemia • Still 20 milllion children aged 6-15 • Affects intellectual development and studies • Hampers development of cognitive and motor skills • Teachers • Often no pedagogical training of teachers (less qualified than in urban areas) • Major part of worktime spend on administrative work • Family-related problems • Lower value of girls influences enrollment-rate • Poverty (schooling fees) • Job opportunities in low-skilled sector • Family background • The lower the level of education of parents or grandparents, the less likely are children to pursue higher education ²Source: https://www.economist.com/news/china/21604220-growth-has-helped-millions-avoid-malnutrition-it-still-threatens-hold-back-generation

7. Education in Rural Areas II • Language • No senior high school education in national minority languages • No economic incentive for pursuing higher education • Facilities • Fewer available schools in rural areas, esp. junior and senior high schools • Not suitable equipped for children (esp. younger children) • Sanitary issues

9. Approach of the HSF in ESD teaching training: empowering teachers to think holistically Standardized goals – 15 Modules for ESD • 35 hours workload for students • Divided between nine topics • Pedagogy and learning environment • Learning outcome: Interdisciplinary and question/problem oriented lessons that have to fit nationals curricula standards • Guidance by local and foreign experts • ESD is related to • Environment • Social ans • Economical • issues

10. 1 3 Awarenessbuilding Transfer ofresults Challenges for ESD training • Awareness building (survey in 2015) • 50 % of head masters said they have no competences in ESD • 36 % of teachers said that they do not contribute to environmental problems • 45 % of schools do not implement ESD in class room teaching • 23 % of teachers cooperate on ESD with non-school partners • 12 % of pupils said they protect environment in their schools (28 % do this with their families) • How to implement problem and project based learning on ESD in core curriculas? • How to transfer results into less developed and rural areas? 2 Implementation in curriculas

11. Next: Integrative Development of Rural Areas and ESD