An institution that teaches orphans for free faces hard times

A charity school in Hunan Province is demolished by the local government in October 2013. The authorities requisitioned the land for development. Photo: CFP

Zhang Hongtu, founder of the Datong Hope School in Shanxi Province, reportedly China's first free boarding school for orphans and underprivileged children, is facing a dilemma. He is trying to decide whether or not to close the doors of his school after 21 years of educating children in need.

Zhang, 74, who was the head of a coal plant at the time, founded the school in 1993 when China's educational provision for orphans and the underprivileged was much more meager than it is today.

With 1 million yuan ($160,000) of initial funds drawn from his business, Zhang began to provide free education, accommodation, meals, and medication for his students from junior to high school.

"I was saddened when I saw a group of kids in an orphanage in Tianjin on TV saying how grateful they were for the assistance from foreign donors. I thought to myself that if foreigners are helping out, why can't we Chinese save our own children?" Zhang said, referring to the moment when he decided to open the school for orphans and poor children.

"I also wanted to contribute to the country. My plant was making a good profit at the time. I could not have done so well if the government hadn't helped my business grow. We should give back to society with what we have earned," he added.

With this simple motivation, the businessman-turned-educator has filled the void in the local education system and enrolled about 2,800 orphans and dropouts from 30 provinces over the past 21 years.

But now only 42 students are left at the school, after it announced that it was no longer able to offer high school classes from 2012 onwards.

Zhang was removed from his position as principal in 2002 after being accused of breaching the law. He was clear from the accusation later.

The school is facing an unprecedented crisis this year. The number of students joining the school this year has dropped to zero. The school is struggling to survive and started to let the media know about their problems in late October, hoping that the publicities would help raise society's awareness of their predicament.

The rise and fall of the Datong Hope School is a microcosm of the tough situation facing village schools across China that fear closure as they are unable to keep up with rising educational standards.

A school for all

"Without the Datong Hope School, we wouldn't be here today. I have to thank Papa Zhang and the school," said one of the alumni, over 30 years old, said at the school's 21st anniversary gathering in November.

Since its establishment, the school has nurtured numerous students who were later able to live independent and fruitful lives. Among the 379 high school graduates it produced between 2000 and 2007, around 90 of them continued their studies at various universities and tertiary education institutes all over the country, including some prestigious institutions like Wuhan University.

Its policy of free education has earned the school praise and high admission numbers over the years. The school had 1,818 new students in 2001, nine times the number they admitted in the school's first year.

"Our coal business was making a good profit at the time and could easily finance the school. When we established the school, our facilities were the best out of all the local schools," said Zhang.

With a total of 150 million yuan invested in the school over the years, the school is impressively equipped with chemistry laboratories, a multimedia center, a library and an indoor swimming pool, CNR reported.

"In the 1990s, despite being a small school, we had four pianos for our school band. We also brought toasters from Shandong to make sure the children ate a good breakfast. We even provided free haircuts and repaired our student's clothes. These were our unique services that other schools could not provide," Zhang proudly recalled.

Zhang even built houses to provide cheap accommodation for his teachers, to make them feel secure.

Declining fortunes

But this situation did not last. Admissions have dropped drastically since 2008. After Zhang retired, the school's new management cut the free services offered to students as a consequence of the declining profitability of the coal industry, which upset both the children and the staff.

The school's admission numbers continued to decline as the government began to improve educational support for school children with financial difficulties by providing free books, subsidizing school fees, and helping them pay for their accommodation at boarding schools. Many orphans and poor children have chosen to attend schools closer to their homes instead of coming to the Datong Hope School.

The improvement of China's education system, ironically, has worsen the prospects of an educational institute like the Datong Hope School.

"I understand that children now have more choices due to improved government aid. But that doesn't mean the government can do everything. There is still a need for assistance from society," said Zhang.

In an effort to save the school, deputy principal Luo Daguang said that the school has reached an agreement with the coal plant to establish a foundation that will raise money from the public, and it hopes to admit at least 50 students next year.

The 74-year-old founder is also hoping that the legacy he has created will be preserved and passed on.

"I still want to devote as much time and effort as I can to the Datong Hope School. This is my lifelong dream. With so many kids who support me, I think my school will stay open, so that even after I die, my successors can continue this effort," said Zhang.