Volunteer teachers illuminate classrooms in rural Xinjiang

URUMQI -- Stars seemed within arm's reach on the Pamir Plateau. Alimbubi Musahun shifted her gaze from the enchanting night sky to the path outside her home, awaiting a special guest. Her living room, set with naan bread and hot tea, stood ready in Kirgiz tradition.

Soon, she saw her guest, young teacher Gao Shuxian, approaching alongside Alimbubi's daughter, Dilzada Wurozali, and her schoolmates. Alimbubi greeted the teacher with a warm hug and welcomed her inside.

The Kirgiz herder's family cherished Gao's monthly home visits. Alimbubi served Gao a big bowl of homemade yogurt, knowing the 23-year-old woman, who had left home some 3,000 km away, struggled with mutton or beef but adored yogurt.

Two years ago, Gao traveled all the way from her hometown in North China's Shanxi province to become a math teacher at the primary school of Sheyit village situated in the around 2,000-meter-high Karajol township under Artux city, Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Located just 47 km from the border, Sheyit Primary School is a remote village school that primarily works with children from the Kirgiz ethnic community. Under the "Go West" program, a voluntary service program in China's less-developed western region, Gao and other 22 college graduates now teach here. Hailing from across the country, their Mandarin accents may slightly differ, but they are all united by a single purpose -- to light up the path of knowledge for around 300 children.

"Most of their parents are herders or patrollers, so they rarely have time to care for their families," Gao said. "That's why these children love school so much. Some of them even come to study on weekends. I'm always surrounded by curious students with endless questions."

"When motivated students meet dedicated teachers, academic improvement is only a matter of time," said Jin Wenbin, the school Party chief, adding that the school has finally shed its long-standing position as the lowest-performing in Artux city.

Early this year, the school ranked among the top 15 in the city. Since 2023, it has consistently produced graduates who excelled in regional standardized exams, earning admission to Xinjiang's top middle schools under a funded initiative.

Alimbubi and her husband hoped that their daughter Dilzada could earn a place in this initiative so that she could build a brighter future through education. Gao assured Alimbubi that her daughter was doing well in school, like her elder son, who had already gained admission to Artux's top middle school.

"I want to give these children a helping hand," said Gao, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes. "When a mother tells me, 'Miss Gao, we trust you with our child,' I just... I couldn't hold back anymore."

"We feel completely at ease leaving our children with the teachers. They've become like family to us," said Alimbubi.

In recent years, Xinjiang has continuously increased investment in education. Three years of preschool education and nine years of compulsory education are free across the region's vast rural areas. However, access to quality education still seemed out of reach in remote villages like Sheyit.

Efforts like the "Go West" program are channeling talent and resources to bolster rural education. Gao and her colleagues are working to narrow the knowledge gap, broaden students' horizons, and inspire them to chase their dreams. In a class, Gao presented the AI-generated career portraits tailor-made for each student.

When asked "what do you want to do when you grow up?", children chimed in, "I want to visit our teacher's hometown!" "I'm going to travel around the world!" "I want to be a teacher, too!"

"Most kids here have only been to Artux, just two hours' drive away. But if I ask about their dream trip, they'll say, 'Shanxi! That's where you're from!'" Gao's eyes gleamed with emotion as she said.

Outside Gao's classroom, her colleague Wang Junwen opened a new window to the world for his students -- with rhythms and melodies. As the first-ever music teacher of the school, Wang introduced the children to musical instruments beyond the komuz, a traditional Kirgiz string instrument, and established a drum and bugle corps. He plans to launch a school choir, and even teach children to play piano when they can get one.

A year on the plateau has left his cheeks crimson and raw, yet he's now fully adapted to the harsh climate.

"When I first arrived, these children didn't even know do-re-mi, so I started teaching them from the very basics," said the 23-year-old from East China's Jiangxi province. "Now listen to how beautifully they sing!"

On the opposite end of the playground, math teacher Memetyimin Khudiret just finished his class and played basketball with the children. Unlike other volunteers, he is a native of Xinjiang.

Born and raised in a small village in Shufu county, Kashgar prefecture, southern Xinjiang, the 25-year-old was also a student who benefited from the "Go West" program. Inspired by his volunteer teachers and peers, he has a profound understanding of how education can transform a person's destiny.

"If my teachers were willing to come all the way to Xinjiang, why shouldn't I go to even remoter villages and pastures to help our local children?" said Memetyimin.

"This is where I found my life's purpose. When I see my students growing through my lessons, their progress becomes my reward. And in these moments, I discover the true meaning of my existence," he added.

Currently, a total of 1,085 volunteers under the "Go West" program are teaching at 61 schools in the mountainous prefecture of Kizilsu. Nationwide, over 540,000 college graduates and post-graduates have engaged in voluntary service of various sectors in more than 2,000 county-level areas since the program was launched in 2003, according to the Communist Youth League of China.

When the students at Sheyit were asked about their teachers, they eagerly responded, comparing them to the sun and the moon, and describing them as strict yet kind and warm.

"Be like the sun -- rise and fall without losing your light!" Gao wrote on social media. "I'm teaching my students these very lessons, just as my teacher once taught me. I'm extending a helping hand to pull these children toward brighter futures."