Some 30 teachers from the Graduate School of Education teach in the Common School, assisted by 40 to 50 students in each session. Xu Chunbin, a Law School junior, has volunteered in the Common School since its opening in 2006. “Students are passionate about being volunteers. For the fourth session we received more than 100 applications for 40 posts.”
For the first three sessions Xu assisted with English teaching and after-school activities. Now he is in charge of volunteer management. “The experience has helped me understand the meaning of Confucius’ saying ‘teaching without distinction’,” Xu said. “Education is the right of all. What we are doing in the Common School is imparting this idea to more migrant workers.”
Prof. Ding stresses that the faculty should show due respect for a group with an average age of 26 but at least five years work experience each. “Through our classes and through contact with teachers and volunteers, our students are expected to expand their social circles, to activate the positive side of their mind, and eventually achieve self improvement.”
Prof. Ding believes the Common School will bring changes not only to its students, but also people around them. “It has a ripple effect. Our students will pass knowledge to their acquaintances, and ignite the desire to study in others.”
The curriculum of the PKU Common School has been made into a video by China Education Television (CETV), and is available online free of charge.
A Long Way to Go
“At the beginning of the Common School many employers had no idea of the effects on migrant workers, and some worried about rises in labor disputes once migrant workers became better aware of their rights,” recalled Sun Li, the school’s deputy principal. “After two sessions our trainees reported better performance at their jobs, and many were elected model workers.”
Cao Zhigang, a hired hand at the university’s dining center, acknowledged that some employers think ignorant workers are more docile. “In fact it is in both parties’ interests that both sides know their rights and obligations, and can resort to negotiations in case of disputes.” The 39-year-old attended the first session of the Common School, and has since attended classes regularly. “The biggest change has been inside. It changes the way you view the world and get along with other people.” For instance, after a class on environmental protection, he began to notice some things around him that he previously ignored, and has since participated in the annual volunteer clean up campaign on campus.
According to a survey among the Common School trainees, the most loved classes are on social intercourse skills (81 percent), career planning (79 percent) and remaining upbeat (71 percent). English and computer training are rated lower.
Prof. Ding, who participated in the design of curriculums, explained that the lessons are not meant to impart profound learning, but instead instill the fundamental values and concepts required by every citizen. “Each element, whether it’s a lecture, discussion or group activity, is devised to foster self-confidence and a sense of belonging among our students.”
Deputy Principal Sun Li was impressed with the eagerness of migrant workers to cooperate. “We provide training to college students of various grades, but no classes are so fervently received as those for migrant workers. They show a strong desire to be admitted to city life, and to be accepted and cared about.”
Despite the popularity of the Common School, the program has yet to catch on at other universities in the way the organizers had originally anticipated. “It requires a huge input of time, energy and money,” Sun Li concedes. “It is good to admit more people. But our current capacity can barely meet the needs of migrant workers at Peking University. The total enrollment space for the four sessions of the school is only 300 or so.” Due to pressure on available spaces, for the moment the school has no plans to open to migrant workers outside the university. Despite its limited ambit, the school is one of the many encouraging signs of growing concern about a huge community playing a crucial role in China’s development.
By Lu Rucai (www.chinatoday.com.cn)
Editor: Wen Yi
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