Rural teacher Hei Lifa

In the rural schools in the south central Ningxia Hui autonomous region, many teachers have been insisting in working and helping rural children to realize their dream of going to school in spite the hardship. 49-year-old Hei Lifa is one of them.

He Llifa was born in Xutao village, Zhongning county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. He has been teaching for 23 years in Xutao school. All the teachers who used to work there have left and he is now the only teacher of the school. He teaches Chinese, math and music. He also has to prepare lunch for the students every day.

In 2008, Hei Lifa built a school in his farmland which is nearer to the students’ homes so that they students don’t need to walk a long way to attend school. To teach students mandarin, Hei Lifa practices mandarin in his spare time. “I used to speak dialect. But mastering mandarin is important and necessary for students. ”

More than 30 students of Hei Lifa have passed College Entrance Examination and gone to college since 1992. “I will never leave Xutao school because the students need me,” said Hei Lifa.