More investment needed in educating China's West

Although the Chinese government managed to invest above 4 percent of its gross domestic product into education two years ago, the fund is unevenly distributed, and habitually peeled off by layers of red tape and bureaucracy.

Every year, Guangxi appeals to the central authority to increase investment in its education. However, local officials invariably regard education as a heavy burden that soaks up government revenue.

In fact, the long-term blood-transfusion supportive model cannot address the root cause of poor education in places like Guangxi. The gross enrollment rates of junior and high middle schools in Guangxi have been markedly lower than the national average for decades.

In Guangxi, where poverty is widespread, with about 20 percent of its 50 million people surviving under the World Bank's $1.25 a day and 80 percent of its area consisting of forbidding mountains, good teachers like the principal in Du’an arefew and far between.

Although local governors view it as a burden on government revenue, education is actually an investment in the future with strong positive externalities. Every penny spent on a well-designed education system is worth it and will bring back larger returns in various forms in the future.

Increasing the salary for teachers working in places like Guangxi by a large margin, instead of only praising their noble spirits and sacrifice for the nation, is the very first step to relocate good teachers into poor areas.

Good teachers can produce good students. The appearance of good teachers means local schools will get better, and can effectively raise the people's awareness about education, and cultivate their belief in knowledge.

Even before the good teachers are in place, the government can also make good use of the fast spread of the Internet to let more children in the western region access quality education resources.