Seeking methods to help
"Children should grow up with care and love from their parents. Separation from parents at an early age makes it difficult to cultivate these children in a normal environment, which leads to multiple problems," said Yang Dongping, an expert from the National Educational Advisory Committee.
"But we could not blame parents for such psychological problems. The household registration system in our country makes it difficult for migrant-worker parents to bring their children with them," said Yang.
Rural residents need to provide as many as 28 certificates to bring their children when they work in some cities, and the education quality in some schools for their children could not be guaranteed, which leave the parents no choice but to send their children to boarding schools at home, according to Yang.
Since reform of the household registration system will not be accomplished in a short period, joint efforts should be made by parents, schools, governments and NGOs to improve the psychological status of left-behind children, he said.
A total of 2.6 million children failed to receive any phone calls from their parents in a year, even though contact with parents once or twice in a week could significantly ease children's depression, Li Yifei, an education professor at Beijing Normal University, wrote in a report on the psychological status of left-behind children 2015.
"Schools could cooperate with NGOs to have volunteers to give psychological guidance to these children or organize various activities, like showing good films to cheer and enlighten them," Xiao Hui said.
"More people and NGOs have given financial support to left-behind children,"said Yu Shi, an employee from the On the Road to School.
Some cities have eased restrictions on having children of migrant workers enter schools, or opened pilot schools for children of migrant workers. For instance, Changchun in Jilin Province announced it was cancelling extra fees for migrant workers in 2011.
"The most important thing to improve the situation is to introduce specific laws and regulations, which not only will ensure their rights but also regulate the government's responsibility in taking care of them," said Yang.
As for Wu, her own experience as a left-behind child motivated her to help more left-behind children transcend a lonely childhood. "It is a delight to see smiles on their faces again."
