In December 2019, the “Spring Bud One Help One Student” project was discovered and questioned by netizens. Among the 1,267 high school students funded by this batch, 453 were boys, which caused extensive discussion and reports. The foundation confirmed this and said that it was funded for reasons such as “boys from poor local families are also in urgent need of help”. The plan was originally intended to help poor girls return to school, but the act of subsidizing boys was questioned as violating the principle of “earmarking” and blurring the target group of charity projects.

In addition, it has been reported that the eggs provided by the state for rural girls are often asked by parents to take home for their brothers to eat, which has greatly reduced the effect of the policy. To this end, some regions stipulate that girls must eat on the spot to ensure that they really benefit.

These incidents highlight the gender inequality faced by rural girls in the allocation of educational resources. Even if it is supported at the policy level, traditional concepts and social structures may still hinder girls from getting the education opportunities they deserve. Social media has played an important role in revealing and discussing these issues, and promoted public attention to the education rights of rural girls.

Some Reports / Chengchen Ma / Education Futures: KIPP & Futures Project (2024-25) by is licensed under a