Rural teachers’ program can’t get help

By Yan Shuang Source:Global Times Published: 2012-6-13 1:05:06

Education authorities in Central China's Hunan Province responded to online criticism yesterday saying it is inappropriate for them to participate in charitable activities, after a renowned TV host accused them of being irresponsible for turning down his organization's appeal for help.

Cui Yongyuan, a noted talk show host, wrote on his QQ microblog Monday that the Education Department of Hunan Province is "shameless, unable to perform its duties, and put in no effort" when the charity organization he leads asked for support of an educational program.

The Cui Yongyuan Charity Foundation, which provides training for teachers in rural areas, asked the department to help promote its program in early May but was turned down, said Cui.

"We told them we want to bring 100 rural teachers from Hunan to Beijing for free training in August. The department said it would neither oppose, support, nor participate in it," Cui said in his microblog.

The program, initiated by Cui in 2007, aims to raise the skills of rural teachers by arranging visits to cities and through lectures on teaching and art. More than 600 teachers in 11 regions have participated in the program, according to the foundation.

The microblog posting had been reposted for 60,000 times as of late yesterday, with most Web users criticizing education authorities in Hunan. However, the department said the online criticism could be a plot by Cui to get public attention, and the media might have misinterpreted its first response.

"We don't understand why he said that. We welcome the work of all charities, but it's inappropriate for us to get directly involved as a government department," a media officer surnamed Zhou at the department told the Global Times.

An employee from the foundation contacted the department about the program in early May, saying they wanted us to help publicize it by posting notices and the list of selected teachers, he said.

Government agencies cannot publish official notices for non-governmental organizations, Zhou said, adding the department asked a local education foundation to help Cui with the program.

"I don't understand how the education department can show such indifference to a charitable educational program. It doesn't cost them a penny and all they need to do is post a notice online," Dong Feng, director of the training program, told the Global Times.

Cui said last evening that he will bring the 100 local teachers to Beijing, with or without the help of local education officials.

Meanwhile, Luo Chongmin, head of the Education Department of Hunan Province welcomed Cui's foundation to his province. "This program is very helpful in local poverty elevation, and will greatly improve teacher quality and help achieve education equality," he said yesterday.



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