Why We Care

The following group of data deserves concern from
every one who truly cares about our motherland.
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In China, over 80% of its population reside in rural areas; more than 60% of
this populace possess no higher than an elementary or grade school level of
education;
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According to statistics published by UNESCO, there are 890 million people
around the world who are illiterate. Among them there are 229 million Chinese.
For every 10 Chinese, there is one who is near-illiterate or illiterate;
conversely, for every 4 Americans, there is one who has a college degree;
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In China, among 220 million school students, one third can finish no higher
than elementary school; one third can finish no higher than junior high school;
yet less than one third finish senior high school. The average length of
education is less than 5 years; conversely, Japan had universalized 6-year
elementary school education by 1907;
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In China, the number of school dropouts is still rising. According to the
statistics published by the State Bureau of Statisticals, the total number of
school dropouts in 1988 reached 7.6 milllion nation wide, an increase of 34.5%
from 1987, and an increase of 38% from 1986. Among 4 million school dropouts
each year, approximately one million are forced to drop out due to poverty;
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In 1990, the per person average expense on education was CNY52 in China, an
equivalence of US$10, ranked near the bottom among nations around the world. In
industralized countries, however, the per person average expense on education
has surpassed US$1000;
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A case at point: In Haiyuan County, Ningxia, 1989, the elementary school
student dropout rate was over 10%; over 19.9% of school-age children were
unenrolled; the total school dropouts reached 14470; in other words, one in
every 3 students dropped out. The county population was around 300000.

The
SOAR Foundation
32980 Alvarado Niles Rd, Suite 854Union City, CA 94587
Tel: (510) 675-0680
Fax:
(510) 675-0160
Email:
office@soaronline.org
http://www.soaronline.org
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