Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 417: New Year's Eve

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the last day before the holidays for primary and secondary schools in the local area, He Peizhen, the principal and science teacher of a rural primary school under Anping County, Jiangzhou, stood at the school gate and kept looking out.

"Teacher He, Liu Cuifen asked for leave today and will not be coming to school for class."

A little girl came out of the classroom and reported in a low voice.

"Why didn't Liu Cuifen come to class? And since she asked you to ask for leave, why didn't she report when she entered the school just now?" Having been a primary school teacher for four or five years, He Peizhen knew that the eight or nine-year-old girl in front of her was not telling the truth after taking a quick look at her.

"She is sick. Yes, that's what she told me." The little girl explained in a low voice with her head down, not daring to look up and meet the teacher's gaze.

"Is it that Liu Cuifen's father doesn't allow her to come to class? Tell the teacher the truth and don't lie!" He Peizhen frowned and said seriously.

"Liu Cuifen asked me to say this. She said that if I didn't come to class today, she would ask for leave on her behalf. Teacher, I am telling the truth and I am not lying." The little girl couldn't resist the questioning and told the truth all at once.

"Okay, I understand the situation. Go back to the classroom first. The teacher will be there soon for class."

After softening her tone and sending the little girl back to the classroom, He Peizhen looked at the big red lanterns and spring couplets that had just been hung at the school gate. Her originally joyful mood was dampened a lot because of what had just happened.

After returning to South America from the United States, I met dozens of young international students. Some, like Xu Zhixuan and Kuang Jingyang, joined the army to serve their country and rose step by step in the navy and army. Some, like Kuang Rongguang and Huang Jiliang, used their majors to engage in new technology research and development in various large state-owned heavy industrial groups in the local area. Some overseas students were full of vigor and joined the officialdom, intending to make greater efforts for the development of the country and the nation with their passion.

Unlike those young men who went abroad to study, He Peizhen was one of the very few female students who received modern Western education at that time. After returning to her homeland, she refused the jobs introduced to her by her father and classmates who had studied in the United States. Instead, she went alone and with determination to a rural area in Jiangzhou, where she became a teacher in a primary school under Anping County and began her work of teaching and educating people.

Compared with Western powers, the reform and management of education in the Han Dynasty was more open and fair. Primary and secondary schools were fully coeducational, and more than 90% of colleges and universities, except for a few majors and schools suitable for female students, also implemented coeducation.

The implementation of coeducation, unified and standardized college entrance examinations in all local prefectures, and the combination of the two measures, coupled with the establishment of corresponding teaching and admission systems according to the different economic and educational development levels of each prefecture, have made very successful progress in the popularization and formalization of education in the Han Kingdom. The enrollment rate of primary schools almost covers all children of school age, and the enrollment rate of secondary and senior schools has increased year by year. After joining the teaching team and becoming one of the hundreds of thousands of grassroots teachers in the Han Kingdom, He Peizhen can feel the development and changes of local education more clearly and deeply.

The new generation of children can basically get the opportunity to enjoy education. The public's resistance to girls going to school has been continuously transformed and improved due to the government's continuous propaganda and punishment of hometowns that violate the "National Education Law" year after year. However, the great improvement in the overall educational environment cannot cover up some omissions and deviations. In Anping County, Jiangzhou, the annual tuition fee for each primary school student is 4 Han yuan, which is equivalent to Kuping silver, about 2 taels of silver.

According to local wage standards, the average monthly income of a young and strong laborer in an ordinary worker or farmer's family is about 12 Han yuan. The tuition fee for a year in a primary school is only 10 days' wages for an ordinary family. Although the cost is not small, it is definitely not high compared to the income standard in the Far East.

However, there are always unexpected things. In a small number of families in various parts of the country, due to illness, disability, etc., one or both parents have lost their ability to work, and they cannot rely on selling their labor to earn the mere 4 yuan per year for their children's tuition. Although the number of families with poverty and parents without financial resources is very small, accounting for only -% of the total local population,
However, the longer she taught, the more elementary school students she came into contact with, and the more she could understand the helplessness of children from poor families. The development focus of the Han country was on the industrial and military fields. Although the country vigorously supported the development of the education industry, it had not yet reached the standards of Germany in the field of social security for students' families.

Germany began to implement a social security system in 1883. By the beginning of 1889, Germany's social security system had initially covered areas such as illness, disability, and worker accidents. In South America, the social security system only provided a certain degree of subsidies and resettlement for disabled soldiers who retired due to injuries. For ordinary farmers and workers, due to the limited government fiscal revenue, a basic social security system has not been established. If someone in the family becomes ill, the medical expenses can only be provided by family members, and no government financial subsidies can be obtained. In the late 1.5th century, only Germany took the lead in attempting to establish a social security system. As for Britain, France and Russia, which were countries with comparable national strength to Germany, they were still in a period of severe capitalist exploitation of workers. Workers and farmers not only did not have the opportunity to enjoy the social security provided by the government, but had to work about twelve hours a day. The labor force was strong and the wages were low. Child labor was used and employees' wages were in arrears. The capitalists of Britain, France and Russia used various methods to squeeze profits from the workers. As a representative of them, the per capita income of the British Empire was more than five times the average income of the native citizens of the Han Dynasty. After dividing this income according to different groups of people, we can see that the average British worker's monthly salary is about 2 to 10.5 pounds, which is equivalent to 14 Han yuan or Han yuan in local currency.

The wages of ordinary British workers are similar to those of local workers and farmers in South America. However, if we take into account factors such as the small land area and large population in the UK, numerous taxes, and high prices, the actual living standard of British workers is roughly only half of the average living standard of local people.

Excluding the lower-class British civilians who account for about 100% of the total population, the annual salaries of senior technicians and senior middle-class British workers in the middle class of society reach 700 pounds and 3500 pounds respectively, which are equivalent to 3.5 Chinese Yuan and 17.5 Chinese Yuan after converting according to the international exchange rate. Their income levels are times and times the average income of local citizens respectively.

The upper middle class and upper classes, which make up less than one-tenth of the total population, account for more than half of the social wealth in the UK. Compared with the UK, the wealth distribution in South America is flat, with state-owned enterprises such as military industry, railways, steel, and chemicals accounting for the bulk of fiscal investment.
Ordinary civilians and soldiers have gained some of the benefits of industrial development. Although the per capita income of ordinary citizens is not as high as that of Britain, France and other countries, the wage income difference between officials, civilians, soldiers, teachers and other industry practitioners is maintained within a reasonable range, and the basic living conditions of citizens at all levels can be guaranteed. In this regard, the South American Han Country is no less than that of the Western powers.

There was something bothering her, and her face naturally showed a sullen look. In the afternoon, when the school was officially closed, He Peizhen could not help pouring out her worries with her husband Liao Enbai, who had come to pick her up.

"Legal principles are nothing more than human feelings. The local government promulgated the Compulsory Education Law, which requires school-age children to enroll in school to receive basic education. However, the enrollment rate of school-age children in primary schools calculated by the central government each year was as high as 1888% (data at the end of ), which is percentage points short of the % enrollment rate stipulated in the Compulsory Education Law. Of those percentage points, except for a small number of physically disabled children who cannot attend school, most students are unable to receive compulsory education due to family poverty, disabled parents, or loss of labor force.

"

Liao Enbai sighed and comforted his wife, "Nothing is perfect in the world. It is not easy for our local area to achieve such achievements in education today. If we pursue perfection blindly, it will be a waste of time and effort, but it will be difficult to see the results. It is better not to force it."

"Didn't His Majesty announce the preparation for the constitution, allowing people from all walks of life to run for the House of Representatives? If I participate in the first election of members of the House of Representatives as a teacher, and then raise the issue of poor children's schooling as a member of parliament, wouldn't I have the opportunity to introduce the current situation of poor children's dropouts to the central government, and then help some of them and solve their problem of schooling?"

He Peizhen suddenly made up her mind. She raised her head and looked at her husband, trying to seek his understanding and support.

“By using my identity as a teacher, I can let more people know about the current situation of out-of-school children, and perhaps more children will get the opportunity to go to school.”

Liao Enbai supported his wife's proposal as always, but when he looked at his wife who was always opinionated and strong-willed, a look of pity appeared in his eyes:

"It's just that running for the House of Representatives is different from teaching in a school. You may encounter attacks from many members of the House of Representatives who disagree with your political views. Do you really intend to take this path?"

"I'm not afraid. As long as you are by my side supporting me, I'm not afraid at all."………………

(End of this chapter)