In urban China, the whole society has been obsessed with the spoiled single child, while in rural areas, left-at-home children lacking due love are causing a serious headache.

　　With China’s deepening reform and opening up to the outside world, more and more people in rural areas leave their young children and swarm into the cities for high-paying jobs. Thus, the issue of left-at-home children has become an urgent social task to tackle.

　　Governments at different levels, especially the township governments, have given priority to creating a more favourable social environment with effective assistance in different respects.

　　With regard for the healthy growth and development of left-at-home children, the timely formulation of related regulations and rules and the regular special meetings have provided legal basis and guidelines.

　　Some special working groups have been assigned to take charge of this issue.

　　KaijiangCounty in Southwest China’s SichuanProvince, for example, has founded a working committee to urge the building of updated and detailed archives about its left-at-home children.

　　And the Chengdu municipal government in Sichuan has assigned the working committee for women and children to co-ordinate overall arrangements among different branches and carry out strict supervision and assessment.

　　In CaomiaoTownship, Sihong County of East China’s JiangsuProvince, 6,587 adults flock to cities for employment, leaving behind 1,630 young children with absentee parents.

　　Local authorities have endeavoured to establish a dynamic management network in a bid to ensure the children’s healthy growth, such as regular reports about their performance at school and at home.

　　Furthermore, various corresponding centres are expected to be set up to better safeguard the legitimate rights of left-at-home children, such as guidance centres for family education and psychology consultation centres for youths. Such centres will provide different kinds of services on regulations learning, psychological health and online education.

　　Schools’ efforts

　　As an indispensable force, the schools in local areas have always attached great importance to assuming greater responsibility to help left-at-home children.

　　The elementary and junior schools in Xingwen County, Sichuan Province, have planned to set up “warm homes for students with absentee parents” in its villages and towns under the full support of related departments.

　　Meanwhile, rich extracurricular　activities in the schools may greatly help left-at-home children make good use of their spare time. The activities can cover a wide range of fields, such as essay contests on writing letters to parents, visits to the developed cities with great achievements, and patriotism education conducted by Chinese Communist Party members.

　　In addition, different communicative channels between the schools and the children’s interim guardians have been set up, forging a close contact with each other.

　　And the related training courses have been carried out to help the interim guardians develop correct educational ideas and methods.

　　Moreover, the schools are focusing on improving their services in more aspects in order to meet the demands of left-at-home children and ease the worries of absentee parents.

　　Since last autumn’s term, Caomiao　Township has launched the responsibility system for dropout control. And the conditions of boarding schools have been improved　with well-equipped facilities,　including multi-functional dining rooms and dormitories.

　　Public help

　　Care and assistance from the public have always played an important role as a united and powerful　force in the course of helping left-at-home children.

　　In XingwenCounty, charitable activities are aimed at helping the needy left-at-home children through different channels, such as launching special programmes for left-at-home children, holding non-profit performances for money collection, and providing scholarships.

　　In line with related guidelines, the Chengdu municipal government has striven to mobilize public organizations to provide financial aid and concrete services in favour of left-at-home children, including setting up some kindergartens, trusteeship centres and other entertainment venues.

　　In addition, people from all walks of life are greatly encouraged to participate in such courses with passion and enthusiasm.

　　Some kind-hearted people, including Communist Party members, Communist Youth League members, young entrepreneurs and students in cities, have voluntarily taken part in the “hand-in-hand” activities.

　　In CaomiaoTownship, senior citizens have been encouraged to work as out-of-school directors,　supervisors in Internet cafes and tutors for those with poor studies.

　　The undertaking of helping left-at-home children has made rapid progress across the country in recent years. However, there is still a long way to go. The whole society needs to do more to help left-at-home children grow with enough love and care.

Hundred students have acting parents

By Xiao Jia

　　“I have a new ‘home’ today,” Xiong Guang, a fourth grader, said excitedly to his parents in a long-distance call.

　　Xiong’s parents now work in a city far away from their hometown of ZhangjiaTownship in Guangyuan, Sichuan Province. The little boy, Xiong Guang, was left to his grandparents, like many of his schoolmates.

　　This group of children with absentee parents, who often go to big cities to seek employment, are called left-at-home children in China. ZhangjiaTownshipPrimary School now has 483 such students, making up 77 per cent of the total student body.

　　Most of these students could see their parents only once a year, usually around the annual Spring Festival, China’s traditional New Year. They thus spend most of their spare time with grandparents, with whom these children seldom have heart-to-heart talks due to the large generation gap.

　　The regular activity between the two generations is to watch TV together. But deep in the hearts of these left-at-home children, they need more careful tending and love.

　　“How I wish my parents stayed with me!” a sixth-grade primary school student said in her composition.　

　　“But I have to see them leave my hometown again and again… I know they leave me for the purpose of making more money and enabling us to live a better life.”

　　Concerned with these children’s growth and development, the township’s Party committee called its members to serve as acting parents for them. The activity received vigorous participation.

　　A grand ceremony was held in the primary school recently to mark the one-to-one ties established between 108 left-at-home children and 108 Party members who voluntarily offered to take care of them, extending parent-like love to these youngsters.

　　Xiong Guang was just one of the lucky children, who could not wait to tell this good news to his parents several thousand kilometres away. His father, Xiong Xin, was deeply touched by the loving move. “You are really helpful!” he said to the acting father of his son. “And your efforts will allow us to work outside more easily and with less worries for my son.”

《中国日报》2006年12月