Rural school's decade of advancements uplifts town

Every morning at the central primary school in Tokkuzak township of Shufu county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the first rays of sunlight are accompanied by the sound of students reading aloud, creating an invigorating start to the day.

However, that seemingly ordinary school scene was a far cry from reality more than 10 years ago.

"When I first arrived at the school, the classrooms were in one-story buildings and the roads were dirt paths. After the 'gratitude building' was completed in 2014,410 children from 12 classes moved from the low-rise buildings into spacious and bright new facilities," said Mirsa Sabir, the academic director who has worked at the school for nearly 30 years.

Over the past decade, under the guidance of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and with the support of the Party committee of the autonomous region and aid from provinces and cities, the school has undergone a tremendous transformation.

The school now boasts modern teaching buildings, dormitories, libraries, science and technology centers, sports fields and integrated drinking water purification equipment. All necessary educational facilities are fully equipped, with an additional 6,970 square meters of campus area.

"The school has completely transformed its appearance," said Patigul Yasen, principal of the school.

"Our school is now the most prominent landmark in the town, with hardware facilities comparable to those of urban schools," said Patigul.

Every teacher at the school is equipped with a computer, enabling both teachers and students to access various online educational resources during class, according to the principal.

To date, the number of classes at the school has grown from the original 12 to 27, and the student population has increased from 410 to 1,255. The school now offers comprehensive instruction in the national common language across all grade levels, with many students becoming little teachers, helping their parents learn the language.

With the school's expansion and increased student enrollment, the focus on holistic development has intensified. Since 2015, the school has annually hosted "gratitude themed class meetings" and flag-raising ceremonies, among other themed educational activities.

Additionally, the school has established 26 diverse club courses such as paper-cutting, calligraphy, Peking Opera, clapper talk, embroidery, dynamic lion dancing, and recitation and writing of Chinese classics, allowing students to experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture on campus.

To date, the school has educated 1,688 primary graduates, with 199 of them being admitted to universities. They have each excelled in their careers, becoming doctors and teachers or pursuing higher education at universities.

Mehrigul Yusan, one of the outstanding graduates, was a fourth-grade student at the school in 2014. Today, she is a general practitioner at the health clinic in Tokkuzak town, providing quality medical care to her fellow townspeople.

"I am deeply proud of the rapid development in my hometown. Serving the people of my hometown feels incredibly meaningful," Mehrigul said.

The school integrates fostering a sense of community among the Chinese nation into every aspect of its daily operations, continuously improving the quality and reputation of education, said Sun Tao, Party secretary of the school.

By doing so, it aims to let the flowers of ethnic unity bloom throughout the campus and cultivate students into qualified builders and successors of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Sun said.