Changing Qinghai: More children to attend school
DATE:2014-05-04 SOURCE:China Daily
Updated: 2014-05-04 07:54 By Erik Nilsson (China Daily)
Increased government and nonprofit investment is transforming the lives of nomadic yak herders in
Yushu prefecture''s remotegrasslands.Erik Nilsson chronicles the improvements over three years.
Qumalai county''s children are the nomadic community''s first generation to attend school. Until a few
years ago, illiterate parents in thesecluded swathe of Qinghai province''s Yushu Tibetan autonomous
prefecture believed children should herd yaks to feed the family ratherthan study. That outlook
has inverted. Most herders now believe children should study so they don''t have to herd. The average
altitude of4,300 meters, isolation and insufficient infrastructure make life tough. But since the
government and nonprofits have increased investment inQuma River''s scattered settlements
in recent years - especially in schools - herders now place their hopes for a better future on
their children''s education.
A boy plays on a pile of rocks as strong winds sweep snow from the peak of a mountain in
Yege township.Nomads here endurecold weather year-round. Photos by Erik Nilsson / China Daily
A child jumps over a puddle in front of the seven tents 76 Yege Primary School students
called their dorms in July 2011.Thegovernment has since built new dorms for the children
in the isolated nomadic community Yushu prefecture.
Children play at Yege Primary School in Qinghai''s Yushu.
A girl makes her bowl a "hat" for a boy. Fruits and vegetables were rare
in the nomadic community- where an average elevation of 4,300 meters
makes planting impossible - until produce startedcoming to the school
via the county seat from Qinghai province''s capital Xining, in 2013.
While Yege township''s residents increasingly use cars and motorcycles
for transportation, many nomads in Qinghai province''sYushu prefecture
ride horses and yaks, especially when crossing mountains while herding.