Aftershocks, kindergartens reborn (5)

In September 2010, the second floor of the dinning hall of Badi's only primary school, was transformed into a kindergarten with child-friendly standards -- toilets, washbasins and even bars of soap all come in small sizes suitable for the kids. The steepness of the stairs has been remodeled to ensure no harm to the little users.

But what really made the kindergarten's reputation was a show involving pupils and their parents in autumn 2010.

"The other three teachers and I designed all the dances, singing and games. We made more than 100 costumes suit ourselves with old curtains, paper, plastic bags and anything we could find. We also invited the parents to join in," says Gou.

"The three-hour performance was very successful. Some parents told me it was the first time they had danced with their kids, and many asked me to do it annually.

"It has given me more confidence that, though the facilities we have are not as good as those in cities, children in the countryside can enjoy the same happiness as their urban peers."

The improvements have attracted more families to send children to the kindergarten. The number of pupils enrolled has increased from 80 in 2009 to 117 today. Some of the farmers living in the mountains have rented houses near the kindergarten for the convenience of their children having a better early education.

Jing Lianhong, 26, lives in one such flat with her six-year-old daughter, Chen Xinyue. They walk four hours back to their home in Xiaoling Village every Friday and return to their rented place on Sunday afternoon.

"It's worthwhile. When I was my daughter's age, my family couldn't afford my education at a kindergarten; neither did they think it was necessary. I spent most of my childhood playing in the courtyard with neighbors' kids, doing nothing meaningful. I don't want my daughter to end up the way I have," says Jing, referring to her failure to finish seventh grade.

Jing can feel education having an effect on Chen Xinyue.

"She cares more about personal hygiene. She asks me to wash her hair every day and warned her grandpa about washing hands before having dinner. And she's teaching me some English. It's unbelievable," she says.

NEW PROSPECTS

Enrollment has kept rising in the last three years. More than 73 percent of Beichuan's children aged three to six were on the books of kindergartens by the time the new school season started in September. The figure was 49.6 percent in 2009.

"It's a great achievement because the birthrate dropped dramatically after the quake, but the program has helped us to rebuild parents' confidence in our kindergartens," says He Luhua.

However, UNICEF's Chen warns that the shortage of professional teachers remains the biggest challenge for the sustainable development of early education in the counties.

"The local government needs to make more effort to ensure fair treatment for teachers so as to keep a stable teaching team," Chen says.

For Gou Hua , however, her employment package doesn't much matter. While both she and Badi pick up the post-2008 pieces, she has decided to devote herself to the children.

"A UNICEF trainer told me that for a kindergarten teacher, children are all the resources you have. We love them, but we should respect them first," says Gou. "That means a lot to me. If my son were still alive, I believe I could be a better mother now."