From "Playing Truant" To "Loving Study"

Yaoshan is one of the poor areas in China. The Baiku Yao of Yaoshan has changed from "Playing Truant" to "Loving Study" since 1950s, which reflects the change of need Baiku Yao community has to the school education, leading to the change of Baiku Yao’s value orientation to the school education. Under such background that the education takes the priority in the ethnic region, the researcher makes a detailed inquiry and thinking after a series of field work and conference consultation:why does the Baiku Yao evade the school education in a long history? Why do they gradually pay more attention to the school education? What is the reason that promotes such changes? What is the concrete representation, characteristics and principles existing in such a process of changing? What is the significance and value of such typical case for us to study the school education in the ethic regions? Therefore, we should not only strength our observation and study systemically to the history and current situation of the development of the education in some ethnic schools, but also diachronically make some deeply theoretical and empirical research from the viewpoints of the value orientation to the school education existing in the minorities, reviewing the problem of the value proposition on the school education in the ethnic regions.On the basis of the field investigation, the study in this article uses the method of literature to summarize and analyze the related study concerning Baiku Yao’s historical culture, school education and social changes, the method of historical analysis to diachronically discuss and explore changes of the value orientation to the school education happening in the Baiku Yao, and the method of interview and questionnaire to investigate and observe Baiku Yao’s value orientation to school education in different periods since 1950s. The study, being instructed by the principles of social changes and value philosophy, deeply observes and investigates historical process, causes, and theories of the changes in the value orientation to the school education made by Baiku Yao ethnics of Yanshan and the guide strategy on them, so that the author can make a reasoning thinking about the value proposition of the school education in the ethnic region.There exist three stages in the historical process of changes in the value orientation of the school education made by the Baiku Yao of Yaoshan.The first stage:from 1950s to the mid of 1980s. The enrolment rate for children of school age in Baiku Yao is low. So is the solidity rate; the Baiku Yao community does not build the communication with the school, leading the school to exist "alone" for a long time; it is obviously passive and negative for the Baiku Yao people to accept the school education. In this stage, the value orientation of school education existing in the Baiku Yao is "playing truant" as a whole, that is, the problem of "playing truant" happening on the students of Baiku Yao is prominent, and the Baiku Yao community obviously evades the school education. The main factors formed by this kind of educational orientation are:Baiku Yao people are influenced by their traditional view of marriage and value concept; they don’t adapt to the school education in the transition from shifting cultivation to settled farming, leading them not have any need to the education. The objective causes are the influence of the specific economy, politics and educational practice, i.e. Baiku Yao people are influenced by the long-term poverty, "the Great Leap Forward" and "the Cultural Revolution"; the aim of running schools is quite deviant from the actual need of the Baiku Yao people; there is a serious shortage of teachers, leading to the level of educational quality is low for a long term; the problem of "cultural interpretability" in the education is prominent.The second stage:from the mid of 1980s to the mid of 1990s. Compared to the first stage, the enrolment rate for children of school age and solidity rate in this stage increases, but is obviously lower than the average level of Libo County and the whole nation. Moreover, the dropout rate of the secondary school students is quite high. The Baiku Yao community begins to communicate with the school, but the form of such communication is relatively casual and monotonous; the parents and students of Baiku Yao are more willing to accept the school education than that in the first stage, reflecting the active and positive tendency to some extent. In this stage, the value orientation of school education in the Baiku Yao is the mixture of "playing truant" and "loving study" on the whole. The situation of "playing truant" by the students of Baiku Yao exists together with that of "loving study" by the Baiku Yao community. The subjective cause for such changes in this stage is:Baiku Yao people’s concept of educational value is gradually changing. The objective causes of the educational practice are:the degree of supporting the poor becomes large; the improvement of the conditions of school running; the implementation of the "Compulsory Education Law of the People’s Republic of China"; the strength of the teacher resources; the gradual improvement of educational quality.The third stage:the mid of 1990s until now. The enrolment rate for students of primary and secondary schools instantly increases, but the dropout rate decreases; the communication between Baiku Yao community and the school increases; it is more positive for Baiku Yao people to be willing to accept the school education. In this stage, the value orientation of school education in Baiku Yao is "loving study", which means that the problem of "playing truant" made by students is basically dealt with, and Baiku Yao people’s awareness and tendency of "loving study" become more and more obvious. The subjective causes which lead to the changes in this stage are:the ideas and concept of Baiku Yao is open step by step, emphasizing the education and requiring the changes in the cultural exchange; "Xie Jiacheng" sets an good example to encourage people to accept education and go outside. The comprehensive influences of such educational practice are:the great improvement existing in the condition of living and school running; the continuous influence of the educational policy made by the nation; the obvious enhancement of the educational quality; the strength of the "cultural continuity" existing in the education.According to the investigation and study mentioned above, the article represents the main principle existing in the change of value orientation to the school education made by Baiku Yao people, i.e. production practice is the basis on the change and formation of the value orientation to school education by Baiku Yao people. National system and policy is the leading force of the change of their value orientation to the school education; the change in the development of the level of productive force is the key factor of the change in the value orientation to the school education by Baiku Yao; cultural change is the deep factor of the change in the value orientation to the school education; the subject need and the change of concept are the internal motivation for the change of value orientation to the school education made by Baiku Yao people. The change of value orientation to the school education by Baik Yao people is the unity of regularity and purposiveness. In order to further strength and guide Baiku Yao people’s value orientation to the school education, the author in this article put forward some strategies, which is we need to give full play to the role of education policy in terms of guiding the educational value, strength the advocating function of the media in terms of educational value, and fully explore and take advantage of the excellent traditional value resources of the Baiku Yao.Based on the deep exploration and investigation of the change occurring in the value orientation to the school education of Baiku Yao, the study in this article introspects and discusses the question "what’s the education" according to the aspects of philosophy and reality, and puts forward that the education is the necessary life activity satisfying people’s need of existence and development. The aim is to improve the life quality of people’s existence and development, promoting the harmonious development and progress of the whole society.On the basis of the study on the case of Baiku Yao in Yaoshan and the reasoning realization on "what is the education", the author of this article explores and discusses the rational value proposition of the school education in the ethnic regions, thinking that: the school education in the ethnic regions is the necessary life activity satisfying the need of local existence and development; the school education in the ethnic regions should be designed to meet the need of local people’s existence and development, improve the life quality of local existence and development, strength the life validity of the school education, and promote the harmonious development and progress of the whole society.Through the study and analysis above, the reasoning mentality of the value proposition to realize the school education in the ethnic region is:we should have the whole perspective of development, and promote the harmonious existence and development between education, people, nature and society in the ethnic region; we need to set up a relation of mutual adaptation and mutual nutrition between the mainstream culture of the school and the ethnic culture; we ought to further ascertain the responsibility of the government in the development of school education of the ethnic regions.The study can help people clearly know and understand the need of Baiku Yao in Yaoshan and other similar minorities on the school education and the situation of the value orientation to the education in different historical stages, aiming to find the rationally theoretical basis on the further reform of the school education in the ethnic regions. The theoretical introspection on the rational value orientation to the school education in the ethnic regions can promote people to think about the essence and value of the education, the responsibility of the government, and the rational relationship between the mainstream culture of school in ethnic regions and the culture of minorities, arousing people to reconsider the meaning and value made by the education to the existence and development of individuals, nationalities and even the human beings.