The Beijing News accuses local officials in Hubei province of embezzling funds after China Central Television exposed authorities distributing "fake" dictionaries riddled with mistakes to over 3 million pupils in rural primary and secondary schools as part of a government subsidised scheme.

BBC: China media: Fake food scandals

But like many rural schools, Dagucheng primary is meanwhile cutting costs by relying increasingly on unqualified teachers.

ECONOMIST: China

The government schools reaching into city and rural areas and the missionary schools had been the backbone of primary and secondary education, but in recent decades a mushrooming of private schools, especially in the urban areas, has drastically changed the scenario.

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The Network comprises some 9, 500 educational institutions, ranging from public and private pre-schools, primary, secondary and vocational schools to teacher training institutes, in rural or urban settings.

UNESCO: All Events | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

For the past four years, the Yao Foundation has been funding the construction of 14 schools through the Hope Primary Schools program that will eventually benefit some 9, 000 rural students in China.

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In 2005, for example, it was estimated that enrolment in most rural schools was below 80%, with more than 20% of primary school children subsequently dropping out of school.

UNESCO: Literacy Through Distance Learning

In rural areas poverty leads to a lack of the basics: food, water, primary schools, simple health care.

ECONOMIST: Anti-poverty programmes

The primary school counts 430 students and 17 teachers, grapples with classic problems of rural schools in many parts of the world from overcrowding and lack of clean water to difficulty in growing much-needed shade trees and river overflows in the rainy season.

UNESCO: EDUCATION FIRST