Early Education Services, Babies' 'Cradle'

早期教育服务，婴幼儿的“摇篮”

　　Babies born since 1999 in Luwan District, Shanghai, have been eligible, up to the age of three, for early education services.

　　The services, which began in 1999, are provided by early education centers in the district, and they are provided in home or at a particular center.

　　Huhu, a one-year-old boy, seemed to enjoy his time at one of the centers, but teachers there noticed that he didn't focus on their words and he didn't pay attention to particular objects. Teachers alerted Huhu's parents that he might be autistic. After he received a medical check-up, Huhu's parents began dealing with the fact their son suffered from autism. He began receiving treatment.

　　A child, Yueyue, had not learned to eat her meals at home, even though she was nearly three years old. Her mother was often exasperated. At the center, however, Yueyue would eat quietly by herself, and she also got on well with other children. Teachers were subsequently able to help the child's mother better understand how to deal with her and reduce tension within the family.

　　Jiji's grandmother could not understand why his parents sent him to the early education center in Luwan District, a location that was far from their home. However, she came to understand their reasoning after Jiji's parents learned new aspects of child rearing from the center. Jiji's grandmother saw that the center provided a place for children to play and "grow," and helped parents learn new methods of child rearing.

　　The government of Luwan District began establishing the centers, throughout the district, in March 1999. By December 2005, more than 95 percent of the children, under age three, in the district had access to early education services 12 times a year. By June 2006, the centers assisted an estimated 3,170 families in 77 communities of the district.

 

 

Government Increases Input for Women, Children

政府加大妇女儿童事业投入

 

　　During the first five years of the two NPAs (2001-2010), or the National Program for Women's Development and the National Program for Children's Development, the government of JiangsuProvince incorporated the work of women and children into the province's overall plan for economic and social development. In addition, the province increased financial support for such initiatives.

　　In 2005, education funding in Jiangsu was increased 100.23 percent over 2000; health funding, 103 percent over 2000; and family planning funding, 75.70 percent over 2000.

　　The government also increased investments in key projects involving women and children—including reconstructing the provincial activity center for women and children and the cadres' school for women, establishing a provincial "re-education-throughlabor center" for women delinquents, helping poverty-stricken areas implement the two NPAs, building or extending 33 activity centers for women and children at different levels, and conducting a general survey about women's diseases among women from 1.10 million financially disadvantaged families.

　　Moreover, funding regarding the work of women and children has increased. The office of the provincial working committee on children and women, for example, received funding of about four million yuan (US $500,000) in the past five years.

 

 

Projects Help

项目促进落实两纲

　　Since 2002, the Working Committee on Children and Women of Fujian has proposed 12 projects in the province's 25 counties, cities or districts t o counter problems that arise during implementation of the two NPAs (2001-2010), or the National Program for Women's Development and the National Program for Children's Development. As a result, the projects, specific to women　and children's issues, have effectively promoted the realization of objectives, set forth by the two NPAs, throughout the province.

　　Birth defects used to be a main cause of infant mortality and adult disabilities, as well as creating a burden on both the fami ly and society. In 2003, Fujian initiated a study on birthdefect monitoring and intervention and launched a pilot project to prevent or treat birth defects in DehuaCounty. In　2004, the project was under way in the province and, by 2005, the upward trend of birth-defect occurrence was reduced and the infant mortality rate dropped by one-fifth of the 2000 level.

　　In 2002, Fujian began trying to reduce the occurrence of maternal mortality. Hospitals and centers for women and children at al l levels focused on pregnant women and women in childbirth, regularly provided medical check-ups and guidance and follow-up care for the women, from the point of the early stages of pregnancy to the 42nd day after childbirth. Through the efforts,the level of awareness of "self-care" was enhanced and hospital deliveries increased.

 

 

Enabling Each Child to Enter School

让每个孩子都能进学堂

　　The government of Chongqing, a municipality in Southwest China that is directly under the Central Government, has increased its education funding while it promoted economic development, in recent years.

　　In 2006, the government issued a call: "To enable each child to enter school!" The government worked diligently to make compulsory education, including primary school and junior middle school, universal. In the spring of 2006, Chongqing decided to provide special funds for rural compulsory education.

　　The government funded 1.28 billion yuan (US $160 million) and the program benefited 3.89 million children. Tuition fees were eliminated and incidental expenses, such as text books and living allowances, were covered by the municipality. Chongqing also raised a fund, of 192 million yuan (US $24 million), to support 430,000 needy rural girls.

　　As well, the government enhanced the expansion of educat ion at the senior middle school level and above. Beginning in the autumn of 2006, a student from the Three Gorges area, or from a family with financial difficulties in Chongqing's urban or rural areas, could be eligible for a government grant if admitted to a secondary vocational school. To cover the costs, the government raised a fund of 210 million yuan (US $26.25 million) and planned to provide aid to more than 60,000 students. The government also reduced or eliminated tuition fees and incidental expenses for senior middle school students in disaster-stricken areas.

 

Being the Masters Too

同样是主人

　　In recent years, migrant children in Jinan, capital of ShandongProvince, were taught to be sel f -conf ident residents of the city. They received that education in 20 local schools designated by the city's education department. HuiboPrimary School was one of those facilities.

　　The school put migrant students on an equal footing with local children in enrollment, expense, class and appraisal, and it made transferring easier for the migrant students.

　　Secondly, the school encouraged local students to become friends with migrant students, so they could learn from each other. Teachers were encouraged to make friends with migrant students'　parents, and to help them overcome difficulties.

　　Thirdly , the school provided assistance, in different ways, to needy migrant students. In 2006, for example, the school provided more than 30,000 yuan (US $3,750) to 130 migrant students.

　　Most migrant students in the school have become comfortable in their new surroundings.