Research On Reasons Of The Yi Orphans' Low School Enrollment In Liangshan

According to the 2005 national census of the orphans, there are 573,000 orphans in China and 86.3% of the total is in rural areas. HIV-AIDS induced orphanhood in Henan province has already been largely soothed as a result of Government's highly caring, while thousands of orphans in Minority areas of China are still out of people's sight. NGOs' action in Liangshan Yi areas has highlighted that orphans there are living under extreme,difficult circumstances and most of them are out of school. A survey has been conducted to map out their disadvantaged educational status and reasons contributing to high uneducated rate have been discussed.The results of investigation indicate that orphans in Liangshan Yi areas are in high uneducated rate and female orphans are more likely not to attend the school than male orphans. Through examining the protection system aimed at orphans as well as the natural surroundings, economic and social transforming, history and cultural tradition and school education in Liangshan Yi areas, following conclusions are reached:1. Orphan protection system is one of the reasons leading to current educational situation. While compared to orphan protection system, other reasons like natural surroundings, economic and social transforming, history and cultural tradition and school education in Liangshan Yi areas contribute more to orphans' unschooled situation.2. The morbidity of current orphan protection system is the first reason of Yi orphans' high out-of-school rate. Family, instead of the country, forms the basis for orphan care and education, which has leads to the selectivity of the foster orphans and made female orphans enjoy less rights than male orphans, including in education. That's why female orphans are more unschooled.3. Except for the morbidity of current orphan protection system, following reasons are also analyzed in the thesis:(1) The abominable natural surroundings is the second reason for Yi orphans' current educational situation. (2) Drug and migrant worker problem caused by economical and social paradigm shift is the third reason of Yi orphans'low access to schools.(3) The school education in Liangshan Yi areas becomes the forth reason because it cannot meet the Yi people's needs.(4) Ideas like "treating woman as inferior to man", "more offspring, stronger family", and marriage strictly limited to the same rank are regarded as the fifth reason because they all originated from Liangshan Yi areas' history and cultural tradition.