Last Sunday the Dandelion Middle School (Pugongying Zhongxue) commenced the first ever Happy Dandelion summer camp. The school is located off the southwest Fifth Ring Road at Xinhongmen and is the first non-profit private school for migrant children. The summer session has 31 girls and 29 boys studying English and computer courses. When the school officially opens in September, it will have approximately 400 7th and 8th grade students.

　　The school grounds are located on more than 6,600 square meters of land that used to be an abandoned factory. Teachers, administrators, and laborers have been working together to turn the dilapidated buildings into a full kitchen, girls and boys dormitories, classrooms, full computer, biology, physics, and chemistry laboratories, a basketball court, a playground, a music room and offices. The team broke ground in April and the summer session students are already able to live comfortably in the dormitories and attend daily classes.

　　Education for migrant children is a critical social problem and has received much government attention in the past year. The government recently passed legislation requiring elementary and middle schools to stop charging extra fees to migrant families.

　　Tuition for the Dandelion School will be 680 yuan per semester. This includes tuition, insurance, and room and board.

　　Many of the teachers at the Dandelion School are migrant people and all have several years of teaching experience. There are currently 20 teachers and the school is still hiring for the fall semester. English teacher Song Yan said that she looks forward to teaching and learning along with her students and showing them love and compassion. Many teachers echoed her sentiment in their dedication to the school, genuine concern for the students, and eagerness to improve their teaching skills.

(Beijing Today: Angela Steele　05/07/29)