Wang Li expresses both sympathy and hope when he recalls a rural school in Ethiopia he visited a few years ago.

"There was nothing in the school, only a blackboard, some chairs and a table, which all looked quite new. Apart from that, the rooms were as basic as they could be," he says.

However, what struck Wang the most was the realization that the entire school was built with between just 2,000 yuan ($320) to 3,000 yuan.

"I was shocked," says Wang, who is deputy director of the International Research and Training Center for Rural Education, which has been supporting rural education in China and other emerging countries for the past 20 years.

"This amount of money for businesses and organizations may not be enough for a meal. Yet if you give it to Africa, an entire school can be built, so many children of all ages could benefit."

He still vividly recalls the smiles on the children's faces as they gathered around him outside the school.

"Each face was different, but each smile was so beautiful. I was so happy to see them."

The center was founded in 1994, and it has two aims: to help China's rural education reform and to help China share its knowledge with other developing countries. Wang says the center has carried out many activities to achieve these two objectives, including research on different skills needed for inclusion in rural education, and rural women's access to education, and it has passed on what it has learned to other developing countries.

China's rural education reform has come a long way since the Chinese government officially made it an objective in 1984, he says.

"One reason for its success is that it started early, six years before UNESCO introduced the concept of education for all."

China's experience in the reform of rural education can be valuable for many African countries, Wang says, particularly in areas such as devising effective teaching methods and designing curriculums. But there is a difficulty that needs to be overcome in sharing this experience with Africa as a cultural divide exists.

"I personally don't believe we are at the stage where our teachers are ready to give African teachers training. Most of our teachers don't speak the local languages in Africa."

Wang recalls visiting a tribe in Ethiopia where his host gathered food with his hand from a bowl and fed it to Wang. Because of the unusual way of serving the food, Wang hesitated, but quickly gulped down the food.

"I had to eat. It is not good enough to just say that China and Africa are brothers and sisters. We have to put it into action. Brothers and sisters share. If our African hosts can eat it, I can eat it, too. But I'm afraid most Chinese teachers don't think this way."

Despite the challenges, Wang believes education training and exchanges between China and Africa are particularly useful.

"Education is where China and Africa can build common values and emotional bonds," he says.

In addition to supporting schools in Africa, Wang says the Chinese government should give more scholarships to African students at Chinese universities.

The amount of money Chinese universities give to African students is small compared to that provided by developed countries such as the United States and those in Europe or China's Asian neighbors South Korea and Japan, he says.

"This has meant the most talented African students go to the US and Europe, and those who do not make it to those places choose South Korea or Japan - only after that do they consider China."

Even if China funds fewer African students, each should receive a good amount, he says, so that Africa's top students will be attracted to Chinese universities, and grow up to build bridges between China and Africa.

cecilyliu@chinadaily.com.cn

Wang Li with African students. He says China's achievements in rural education can be a valuable way to build bridges with many African countries. Provided to China Daily

(China Daily 04/27/2014 page5)