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Frost Boy

For many rural, poor populations, basic amenities that we take for granted are not provided. With little resources for these communities and widespread gaps between settlements, the ratio of school to land has become razor thin. Few communities have readily accessible schools for children who live in rural areas to attend. With schools so far away, it remains a challenge to get children to regularly attend. Within these rural communities, when students lack primary education it becomes even more difficult for them to break from the current cycle of poverty. The long walks to school every day can be extremely challenging and take much dedication on behalf the students, further discouraging their attendance. Especially in the wake of environmental issues, such as seasonal weather patterns, walking to school in the blistering heat or the freezing cold can make obtaining this education extremely difficult.
A few weeks ago, a teacher at a school in rural China posted a picture of one of her students who arrived to the classroom with frost in his hair and eyebrows from his journey to school. The picture quickly spread across social media; the public naming the young student “frost boy.” Although many people were horrified by the picture and called the child a “national hero,” this is not an anomaly in China. In fact, this is not an anomaly throughout the world. Seven out of ten rural youth in sub-saharan Africa have never attended school, often deterred because of the long stretches and conditions of which they would have to go through to get there. Furthermore, nine out of ten students living in poor rural areas of Latin America never get to complete primary education.
This article gives a lot more information on the “frost boy” and on the issues with the rural education system overall in China. I hope it begins to get you thinking about the problems children in rural communities face. Be sure to keep it in mind when looking at the issue of education as a whole!

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