Three years ago, Wang Lin was admitted to a key middle school in Sanhe County, Hebei Province. But, like many rural children who struggle with poverty, Wang gave up the opportunity to attend the school because of its cost-3,000 yuan. His mother was seriously ill at the time, making the situation even worse. Wang left his hometown and moved to Beijing, where his father has been a construction worker since 1991.

Wang began to work on a construction site to earn money for his mother's medical care. The woman cried repeatedly because she felt so sorry for her son. But one day she heard on the radio about a new vocational school in Beijing that offers training in practical skills to children of migrant families at no cost.

Having passed the entrance exam, 19-year-old Wang finally returned to school last September, becoming one of the first group of students at the BN Vocational School, the first of its kind in Beijing. Wang studies building maintenance and electrical work. "When I found out that the school offers free education for children of migrant rural families like me, I was really excited, because study will help me realize my dream and this is an opportunity that will change my whole life," he said in a speech at the school.

A woman's aspirations

Located in a quiet spot in the Dafangjia Lane, the BN Vocational School is not eye-catching. But it has already received a large number of donations from over 100 sponsors, including companies, schools, embassies, media agencies and individuals, according to information provided by the school.

The school, which opened last September, offers free classes, textbooks, uniforms and meals for two years to children who would otherwise not have access to higher education in the city.

Yao Li, founder and principal of the school, told Beijing Review that she had thought about establishing such a school for a long time. She attributed the reasons to her eight years of work experience as a property manager. Because of her work, she often was in touch with rural migrant workers and thus knew about their difficulties. She also noticed that there was a lack of qualified workers in the service industry, especially in property management.

Finally she came up with the idea of offering free education for children of poor rural migrant families to train them to be qualified workers. In late 2004, Yao mentioned her idea to her friends. Some of them are business people who responded positively. The first supporter was Wu Yunqian, Chairman of Dalian Parkland Group Ltd. and now Honorary Headmaster of the BN Vocational School. "If you have a skill you will not need to worry about your lunch," Wu said during the school's opening ceremony, referring to his own experience of learning to make clothes at the age of 15.

Yao quit her job to run the school. She said she made the decision at that time based on her aspirations and enthusiasm, not knowing what kinds of difficulties and results she would encounter. But now that she has witnessed the changes in these children, she believes she made the right decision.

"There are difficulties. Because we never did this before, we had no experience and no example to follow. But we are lucky enough to be here at the right time, given the urban development, and we get lots of support. So those difficulties cannot stop us from running the school," Yao told Beijing Review.

"By doing this I also was rewarded. I gained mental pleasure and I have the feeling of realizing my own value. So running the school is also beneficial for me," Yao said.

During the annual National People's Congress session in March, Yao got a clear idea from the government work report that the government would make continuous efforts to help migrant workers. The issue of education for the children of migrant workers was mentioned in the report, which made Yao more resolute in her aspirations.

Before the vocational school was officially set up, Yao visited 104 local schools and talked with their leaders about their experiences in running schools. She went to related government departments to get approval for the school. "The municipal bureau of labor was very supportive," Yao said, adding that everything went smoothly, and she considered herself lucky.

The BN Vocational School enrolled an initial group of 84 students from 21 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Those students, aged 16 to 20, were selected from 150 applicants through entrance exams in Chinese language and mathematics.

Bright job outlook

Poverty is the first standard for enrollment, since the school is a kind of charitable institution, said Yao. An average monthly income of less than 300 yuan for each family member will meet the standard. Students are also required to be in good health.

According to Yao, graduates from the school will not get the academic credentials that need to be approved by the labor bureau, but they will get a work permit, with which they will have no problem in finding a job. "Real capability is more important than academic credentials," said Yao.

Yao is very optimistic about the employment prospects for these 84 students, divided among three majors: practical home and property management, building maintenance and electrical work, and plumbing and air-conditioning. All of them will be recommended for different job positions.

"There is a huge demand in the market," Yao said, adding that many property management companies have trouble finding qualified employees. And she said the 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Beijing will create many job opportunities in the service industry.

Yao noted that the school is run on a more business-like model, different from traditional schools. She said the managerial team is trying to seek ways to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs.

Currently, all of the school's budget comes from donations, which total more than 2 million yuan, according to Yao.

Yao estimates that the school's expenses will total around 1 million yuan a year, which covers water and electricity, staff salaries, textbooks, lunches, activities, telephone, taxes, administrative expenses and other daily operating costs. An audit report shows that at the end of 2005, the school's total income was 1.9 million yuan, while expenses were 322,000 yuan. Yao said the major expense now is teachers' salaries, which, according to the audit, amounted to 79,000 yuan at the end of last year. She added that the school employs some retired teachers, who receive a salary, as well as volunteers, who are not paid.

The school has over 1 million yuan in reserve, which is sufficient for this year, Yao said. It is now looking to obtain financing for next year. "Now I don't worry about the money issue. I'm only thinking of the quality of education. If we fail in terms of education, we'll definitely receive no money. So long as we do well, there will always be supporters," Yao added.

She noted that the Irish Embassy in China donated 50,000 yuan to her school last year for buying textbooks and teaching equipment, and this year the Irish Government decided to donate another 50,000 yuan after it saw the positive results.

Kind supporters

Since its establishment, BN Vocational School has received support from many companies, institutions, government departments and individuals. Some of them donated money, some contributed equipment and some others offered knowledge and hard work.

There are now over 200 volunteers who come to the school periodically. The school has nine full-time employees and over 50 part-time teachers, including seven foreigners. Paid or not, all of them have devoted their love and enthusiasm to the school, Yao said.

Ji Rujin, Associate Director of the Institute of Real Estate Studies, Tsinghua University, now teaches property management two hours a week at BN Vocational School. He got to know Yao several years ago when she worked for a property management company, and was very interested when Yao told him about the idea of setting up a vocational school.

Ji, who has been involved in education for many years, said people need to have some sense of public good. He supports the school wholeheartedly, saying that it started from the bottom and took a down-to-earth attitude to train students who will be needed in the property management market.

"The students at BN are highly motivated and well disciplined, and teaching them is a pleasure," Sally Borthwick, an Australian who teaches English at the school, told Beijing Review. She noticed that the students really appreciate the opportunities the school provides and are making good progress.

Borthwick heard of the school quite by chance. A friend told her that she'd been teaching English there and was looking for a replacement. Borthwick had quite a lot of experience teaching English to non-native speakers in Japan and Singapore, and she took the job because she thought "this would be a good way to make a contribution."