15graduatestoteachinGuangxi

From: Shenzhen Daily

Updated: 2006-07-06 00:07

FIFTEEN recent graduates of Shenzhen Polytechnic, who joined a national charity project to teach in the rural areas in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bid farewell to their teachers and schoolmates Tuesday.

The 15 volunteers, some of whom are from wealthy families, will teach in 10 impoverished counties in Guangxi for one year strating from the end of this month as part of the national charity project. As a monthly stipend, the students will receive 1,300 yuan (US$), 600 yuan from the government and 700 yuan from the college, to cover living expenses.

While their peers will begin a promising career in Shenzhen, the volunteers will have to adapt to a new environment far from homes without conveniences like air-conditioning or television. Also, there is no job guaranteed for them when they return.

"I have got a work offer from a real-estate company as an assistant to general manager. But I decided to volunteer in Guangxi," said Wang Quling, a graduate of the business school. Wang said she had trouble convincing her parents about her decision to decline the job offer and volunteer.

Like Wang, most volunteers were offered a job in IT companies, design workshops and English training centers.

Lai Yifu, a scholarship winner and one of the top graduates this year, expected the one-year volunteering in Guangxi would be fruitful.

The volunteers plan to describe their experiences on their blogs.

"I will hold a photo exhibition in the polytechnic after the project is over. I believe the images of people in poverty are most powerful to attract the society"s attention, to encourage more people to participate in charitable events," said Chen Yuan, a volunteer.

"We have received more than 100 applications from April," said Xie Wenbin, the college"s secretary of Comminist Youth League, which coordinates the national project. "All the 15 are outstanding graduates."

Yu Zhongwen, dean of the college, told the volunteers at a farewell ceremony that experience is the most valuable treasure in life.

Shenzhen Polytechnic has the most volunteers in Guangdong for this year"s project, which aims at recruiting university graduates to serve as teachers, doctors, farmers, construction and management staff, legal or financial consultants in the country"s western regions.

There are a total of 6,500 graduates in this year"s project, with 3,500 others continuing in their posts from last year.