The successful entrepreneur, who was forced to cut his own schooling short because his family could not afford the fees, passionately believes in making education accessible to all.
A week ago Cui was outside the office building where he runs his business for the annual distribution of money to needy students. Cui is seen sitting next to a long table on which are placed rows of 100 yuan (US$15) notes. The money is divided into bundles with different amounts such as 3,000 yuan (US$438) and 5,000 yuan.
Cui hands the money personally to the students who queue up in front of him. As the students approach Cui, they extend both hands towards him, make a bow, and then collect the money.
This year, Cui distributed 1.1 million yuan (US$160,000) to 160 students from his own personal savings.
“I had to drop out of school due to poverty, so I launched this funding project by myself,” Cui said. “Poverty should not be passed down to the next generation. They shouldn’t be stopped from attending school because of poor living conditions.”
In China, it is fairly common for wealthy individuals to finance students from low-income backgrounds or who are struggling with illness or disability.
Earlier this month, a 90-year-old former university lecturer was in the news for providing financial support to low-income students using money he made selling recyclable materials he collected late at night.
In May, a schoolmaster in northern China was in the news for spending his life savings creating a free education system for disabled students. In the 12 years since he started the school, he has helped more than 500 disabled students from ages seven to 30 to complete their education, with around 120 going on to find paid jobs.
No comments:
Post a Comment