By Yang Lijuan's family is the poorest in Youjiafen Village in Fangshan District in Beijing's southwestern suburbs. The 18-year-old girl has just made her first trip to the centre of the city to enrol at the Beijing University of Technology.

Her house is a picture of misery. There are cracks in the ceiling and the walls are stained by rain. There is a single bed, a desk, two chairs with broken legs and a black-and-white TV discarded by a repairman that occasionally shows a blurry channel. Just 10 square metres shelter Yang Lijuan and her parents.

Yang Ting, her 53-year-old father, has been suffering from a blood vessel illness for 22 years. Her 52-year-old mother Hu Guiying is the household's only breadwinner. She brings in about 100 yuan (US$12) every month by fixing bicycles at the roadside.

"We also receive a monthly government subsidy of 177 yuan (US$22), but that can hardly cover monthly medical expenses, which run to over 200 yuan (US$25)," the girl said.

The family has a 0.1-hectare plot where corn, wheat and vegetables are planted. "The yield just meets our own need, but cannot produce any income," the girl said. "We rarely buy food and only buy meat once or twice a year. Sometimes, friends and relatives give us some of their food."

Yang's father has had three major operations, piling up a mountain of debt totalling 60,000 yuan (US$7,407). The family has used up all the goodwill and generosity relatives and friends could possibly offer.

This level of poverty and the ability to pay university tuition fees are worlds apart. Yang needs 5,900 yuan (US$728) for the first year alone.

"We really don't have any money for it," Hu lamented. "If no loan is available, the only choice for our daughter is to give up the chance of going to college."

Where's the money?

Multiply the Yangs' situation by 1.6 million and the magnitude of the problem emerges. This figure comes from official statistics that detail the number of "extremely poor students in college," which the government has pegged at 5-10 per cent of the total. If the threshold is lowered to include "poor students," at 20 per cent, the number is a whopping 2.4 million.

In the coastal provinces, an annual household income of 10,000 yuan (US$1,234) and below is considered "poor," and those below 6,000 yuan (US$741) "extremely poor." Schools like Tsinghua have fine-tuned their cut-off point by incorporating regional discrepancies.

Yang's way out

Yang Lijuan, a graduate of Liangxiang High School attached to Beijing Normal University, got a total score of 487 in the national college entrance exam. Her teacher said she studied very hard and was always among the top 10 students in her class.

Gentle and quiet, Yang has confidence in herself: "I don't feel I'm not as good as my classmates. My grades speak for themselves."

But will she beat her new classmates at the Beijing University of Technology to obtain grants, loans and part-time work opportunities?

Lin Guozhen, a teacher who supervises students from impoverished families at that school, told China Daily that Yang should prepare for her freshman year without worrying about her tuition fees -- for the time being.

"Students like her can enrol first and defer payment until the end of the first semester. At that time, we'll determine -- by their academic performance -- how much financial help will be provided. A poor student who gets 80 or above in every course can have his or her tuition waived, 100 per cent," said Lin.

There are also work-for-study programmes under which poor students can help out in libraries, teachers' offices or service departments in their spare time. The minimum salary is 160 yuan (US$20) a month. Most students also work as private tutors. The combined income will be able to cover their living expenses, according to Lin.

Even though the Beijing University of Technology has only 1,000 students categorized as "poor," accounting for 8 per cent of total enrolment, competition for financial assistance is still fierce. "Not every poor student can get all the help he or she needs," acknowledged Lin.

Despite the poverty Yang must endure, she is lucky to be a Beijing resident admitted to a local university. In inland provinces, poverty levels are much higher.

In 2004, Qinghai Normal University had a total enrolment of 6,841 students, of which 4,167 were classified as "poor." Of this number, 2,908 were "extremely poor." Yet annual fees totalled around 7,000 yuan (US$863), including 3,000 yuan (US$370) for tuition, 800 yuan (US$99) for housing, 400 yuan (US$50) for books and 3,000 yuan for basic living expenses. That is not a situation a few kind-hearted philanthropists can deal with.

Would student loans and other programmes help? Judging by the experiences, of most poor students each has a 37 per cent chance of subsidizing expenses by working, a 26 per cent probability of borrowing from relatives, but only an 11 per cent likelihood of obtaining a government allowance or student loan.

The student loan programme is supposed to "bring coal-burnt fire to those shivering in the cold," but in reality it comes with so many strings attached that only 12-30 per cent of applicants succeed in obtaining much-needed funds.

A 2002 directive stipulates that no more than 20 per cent of enrolled students can apply, and the maximum amount granted per person is 6,000 yuan (US$739) each year. In that year only 2 billion yuan (US$250 million) was loaned out of a total demand of 20 billion yuan (US$2.5 billion).

Banks are reluctant to serve the student market due to the perceived high risks and low returns.

Campus life

What will life be like for underprivileged students like Yang Lijuan?

A recent survey of poor female students shows 46 per cent subsist on the money made from work-for-study; 42 per cent get by with careful planning and 7 per cent are on the verge of dropping out due to financial difficulties.

Poverty-stricken students must work much harder in order to keep up with better-off classmates as they have to do odd jobs to make ends meet, and thus have less time for studying. The pressure to excel is so high because scholarships and grants depend on good grades.

Reports of poor students eating nothing but instant noodles or even others' leftovers have made many realize the inequality in the education system. Then there is the psychological pressure of living among rich students, some of whom have a penchant for flaunting their affluence.

Many poor students suffer from an inferiority complex as they do not have the means to attend group activities such as parties. Their self-respect is dented when they believe they are the target of ridicule for habits or lifestyles that result from indigence. Some develop a defence mechanism of hostility or even mental disorders.

A survey of universities in Beijing reveals 60 per cent of poor students are ashamed of their situation, 23 per cent feel humiliated and would resist sympathy and friendship from others, 42 per cent are not willing to seek help and would rather live in a cocoon, 40 per cent have dampened enthusiasm for socializing and 20 per cent hold radical views and are hostile towards the world in general.

Tough road ahead

The wealth gap is exacerbated as poor students being forced to adapt to an urban lifestyle. Most poor students hail from rural areas where they are not accustomed to the use of mobile phones, computers or other modern gadgets.

They may bring with them outdated habits such as learning by memorizing and feel uncomfortable with the participatory method of learning. Some even start to hate their families because of the hardship they must endure, or at least complain about the misfortune of being born into a deprived family.

This was confirmed by Lin Guozhen, of the Beijing University of Technology: "It's dangerous if we don't help them put things in the right perspective. Some may even kill themselves in despair."

Lin's school allocates counsellors, who each supervise the psychological well-being of 200 students. Poor students are encouraged to develop a positive attitude and face up to the hardships of life.

"We have just held a writing contest for these students. They can use the essays as their outlet for relieving their inner feelings. Over 30 essays have been selected for publishing," she said.

Lin pointed out there is another group of poor students that have shown they have the ability to overcome the odds and drive themselves forward.

Liu Feng, from the Beijing Technology and Business University, is one such student. The Hebei native has a family income of 150 yuan (US$18.40) a month. But he is not frightened to take on the world.

"I've never encountered a classmate who deliberately insults me because I'm poor," he told China Daily.

He is one of the lucky ones, with a 2,000 yuan (US$247) scholarship and an internship at an advertising firm. His aunt pays his tuition, leaving him optimistic about the future.

(China Daily August 30, 2005)