A northern Chinese schoolteacher has been lauded for his efforts to provide free education to students with disabilities.
China’s Hubei province is home to Liu Aiye, a 56-year-old woman who has dedicated her life to assisting children with disabilities obtain a free education.
As a former teacher, Liu was moved to action after hearing from parents of handicapped children about the difficulty of getting their children an education. “So,planned to set up a school for them,” Liu told the Chinese video news site Dami.
Liu began providing free education 12 years ago after spending all of his funds. Special care supplies like sanitary towels are provided by the school in addition to food and lodging.
In the school’s video report, a classroom full of youngsters is seen reading and singing while also learning about farming as a means of earning a livelihood.
“The first year, I spent more than 1.2 million yuan (US$178,544)”, Liu said.
When I made more than 200,000 yuan (US$29,758) from the crops grown on the acreage I purchased for the school in 2014, things began to improve.
Liu has helped more than 500 kids between the ages of seven and 30 complete their schooling over the previous decade, with roughly 120 of those students finding paid employment.
He remarked, “I feel very happy, and this has driven me to stick with it.”
In light of a recent news article, Liu’s work has been widely discussed by the general public, with many questioning why local authorities did not give resources for the crippled.
“If he has run out of money for the school, then how would he solve the continual problems it faces? Can’t imagine,” said one Weibo user.
Another replied: “Shouldn’t the authorities take over? Should he keep spending his own savings?”
“Isn’t this supposed to be the job of the civil affairs bureau? Do the local authorities have no money?” another person chimed in with their opinion.
People with disabilities in China were given legal protection under Chinese legislation in 2008. For the first nine years of compulsory education, counties must provide free tuition to students with disabilities, as well as cut costs for those in urgent need. In addition, grants and scholarships were established for students who were unable to pay for their education because of poverty or disability.
