Jiangsu opens 2,142 classes in holiday program for children

2022-07-21 17:43:00

The Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and the province’s Department of Education jointly launched a summer holiday program for children on July 20.

The program will consist of 2,142 classes, such as those at primary and secondary schools, providing a range of services to children including course tutoring, skills development and mental health care. Priority will be given to left-behind children in rural areas, urban and rural youths in difficulty, and children of parents who engage in new forms of employment.

Each class should have at least three staff members including one head teacher and two volunteers, said Gu Chunming, director of basic education office of the Department of Education. The head teacher is preferably from the school or a retired teacher, and the program will focus on the actual needs of children's study, mental health and growth.

One of such classes at Nanjing's Xiaolingwei Subdistrict help children learn traditional crafts like rong-hua (velvet flower) and paper-cutting, science and technology, and national defense knowledge. Children said they are very happy to join the holiday program that offers meals, a mix of meat and vegetables.

Mr. Zhang, a COVID-19 frontline worker, said the program is very helpful for him because he can focus on his job and have no worry of his child to be left alone at home.

In the class, Zhou Chuanbo, a sixth grader, usually studies in the morning session and makes crafts in the afternoon session. He said he is most interested in making velvet flower with the help of a teacher. Zhou has participated the class every day because he enjoyed the activities and food here.

In the holiday program, Xiaohua, a first-year student at Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, has chosen to work as a volunteer for a class in Runzhou District of Zhenjiang City. The student majoring in administration leads children to make crafts and grow mung bean, saying this experience has also helped her a lot.

She also said parents of children in her class mostly work as couriers and ride-hailing drivers. She started to receive students at 8:00 am and ended the class usually after 7:00 pm.

“Although it's hard work, I feel quite happy to teach children and answer their questions,” said Xiaohua.