A large number of village primary schools in China's poorer rural areas are abandoned or lay idle due to the merging of schools and new educational policies.

Those primary schools left abandoned do not belong to Project Hope, a national government-endorsed education scheme which seeks private contributions to overcome educational failings in impoverished areas, Xu Meng, secretary of the China Youth Development Foundation - the official controller of the project - explained to the Beijing Times on Monday.

Xu's comments came after recent media reports revealed that many primary schools sponsored by the project are not being used in villages, a huge waste of public money. Some were turned into temporary community centers by local governments, while others were used for storage or even as farms to raise pigs and chickens.

The number of village primary schools dropped sharply from 830,000 in 1985 to only 340,000 in 2007 and nearly 70 percent of those remaining will be closed or merged by 2010, the report said.

In many cases, local governments call for integrated educational systems and merge several primary schools into a county-level school, causing serious overcrowding, heavier economic burdens and lower education standards, Xu said.

The consolidated educational systems seem to bring more hidden dangers than benefits. So many students are squeezed into the county-level schools, as many as 120 students in one class, that good teaching standards can't be ensured. Some students have to walk several hours to reach their school as there are not enough dormitories and canteens.

In contrast to the closure of village schools, less than 5 percent of those under the direct management of the CYDF are unused - only 800 schools out of 1.3 million, Xu said.

A series of strict standards must be met and long-term strategies presented before a school is built.

More than 270 new students must be admitted every year; an education system from grade one to grade six, or at least six classes with more than 45 students each, ensured; and schools can't be relocated or merged for at least five years, Xu explained.

(Shanghai Daily October 26, 2010)