CCTV9英语新闻：Remote classrooms challenge for education（在线收听）

Teaching at schools in China's rural regions can be filled with hardships. But those who commit their lives to helping rural children realize their dreams say they are starting to witness great changes both inside and outside the classroom.

Wu Bifang is a teacher at Anjing primary school in Fenghuang County of Hunan province. The school is situated on a mountain, far away from the county's central town. He joined the school after graduating from university, and has stayed with them for ten years. For him, rural education is not just a job, but part of his life.

"Teaching makes me happy. I want to change my students' minds and improve their knowledge. I don't want them to continue the old perception that education is worthless for rural kids," Wu said.

Even though he's persevered for a decade, Wu admits there have been moments of doubt.

"Sometimes I admire those who chose to work outside the county. They earned 40,000- to 50,000 yuan on average per year," Wu said.

Instead, rural teachers must make do on roughly one thousand yuan per month. But progress is being made.

In 2011, Fenghuang County began raising subsidies for rural teachers from less than 100 to a maximum of 14-hundred yuan. Combined with their salaries, teachers like Wu Bifang now can get over 3,000 yuan every month.

Changes can also be seen in the schools, instead of wooden classrooms and bumpy roads, there are now newly built teaching buildings and a playground.

But still, hard living conditions and the isolation of rural life have driven away many qualified teachers, meaning more work for those who stay.

"I have to teach every class for students in 3 grades. Here I work as a teacher of Chinese AND English. Sometimes it means a heavy workload," Rural teacher Long Zhifang said.

The government has recently rolled out a plan that promises more support and professional development opportunities for rural teachers.

"To best implement the plan, firstly, governments at all levels should get serious about it. Secondly, investment should be inclined to poorer and less developed areas. Finally, we should work out a timeline and specify the people in charge to monitor the implementation," Liu Limin, vice minister of Ministry Of Education, said.

The government plan aims to take concrete measures that will benefit current rural teachers, and also encourage more educators to bring their skills to the countryside.