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[Steiner]

Our campus is one year old. It's the #1 middle school for the county and one of the best in our area of Hunan. They aim to be one of the best in China, hence the brand new school. Each grade has its own four-floor classroom building. Each building has 20 classrooms, 12 teacher offices, and 4 multimedia rooms, one on each floor.

Each multimedia room is equipped with a video projector, a computer, a DVD player, a VCD player, a cassette player, and a video overhead projector. The screen is automatic and drops down from the ceiling at the press of a button on the room's control console. The windows have all been tinted to allow the room to be used on the sunniest of days. A lot of money went into these rooms.

They are the pride of the school. We used the rooms often last year. All the teachers did. There were many periods when all four were being used at once.

Now, when a brand new campus is built with classrooms to house 20 classes of students, you would think that 20 classes is the upper limit for any grade. It was supposed to be.

But this year (the school's second year) there are 26 classes in grade 1. The building was built to hold 20. So in the grade 1 building all the multimedia rooms except one have been gutted and turned back into classrooms (boring boring Chinese classrooms). Wires are still hanging out of the ceilings. Where all the equipment has gone I have no idea. Probably to the principal's house.

I have no idea what the point of building state-of-the-art rooms is if they are just destroyed the following year to make way for 360 more students. That's 360 more students than the school is equipped to house, too--they're building another dorm outside my bedroom window.

Actually I do know what happened. Four multimedia rooms may give the students a more creative and varied and effective education, but they don't put any money in the school's pocket. 360 extra students put quite a bit of extra money in someone's pocket.

Sorry this is so long. I'm just a bit disappointed/angry/incredulous (again--you'd think none of us would ever be surprised at anything that goes on in China by now). Thanks for letting me cry on all your shoulders.

[dractalks]

It's always about the money here, isn't it?

[Roger]

Steiner,
I am sure you forgot something:
Last year, upon inauguration of the brand-new campus, the General Secretary of the provincial branch of the CP came on a visit.
He was very pleased, and allowed the school to hire expat teachers...
]This year, they have the permits, the expat faces have enticed 360 sets of parents to enroll their kid at your school. The state-of-the-art gadgets are no longer needed.