China’s second children try to make up for lost years of education

Living in Beijing for 23 years, Li Xue has never attended聽school, not even for a day.

China provides a free, nine-year education to every child聽but Li was not included. For the past 23 years, she has had no聽access to any form of social welfare. She has not been allowed聽to get married, find a job聽or open a bank account.

For Li was the second child born to her parents and, due to聽the nation国产视频檚 one-child policy that ran from around 1978 until聽2015 to curtail population growth, she didn国产视频檛 exist in the聽Chinese government国产视频檚 database.

Li said her parents tried to register her at the police聽station when she was born but staff there refused and demanded a聽letter of approval from the local family planning commission.

With no letter approving her birth, Li国产视频檚 parents were faced聽with the prospect of paying a hefty fine for breaking the聽one-child policy to register her but could not afford to do so.

Since then it has been a two-decade battle with officials聽until China scrapped its one-child policy last year and Li聽finally received an official paper to prove her existence.

Ending the one-child policy has left people like Li聽scrambling to make up for lost years, resentful as they fear聽this recognition may have come too late and unsure what the聽government is going to do to help them make up for those years.

Li missed out on an education and struggled to learn聽everything by herself, using library books borrowed under her聽elder sister国产视频檚 name with her family unable to afford a tutor.

国产视频淢y mother was dismissed from her job because she gave聽birth to me,国产视频� Li told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an聽interview at her home in Beijing, a shabby house without a聽private toilet and with a makeshift shower.

国产视频淎ll four of us had to live off my father国产视频檚 meagre salary.国产视频�

Li国产视频檚 mother, Bai Xiuling, a former factory worker, said her聽daughter used to cry when other children set off for school.聽

国产视频淪he wanted to study at school, but she can国产视频檛. My child has聽already missed the nine-year compulsory education. No money can聽buy her time back,国产视频� she said.

According to China国产视频檚 latest population census, conducted in聽2010, there were 13 million unregistered citizens like Li,聽almost 1% of the country国产视频檚 total population.

国产视频淢ost of them are children born outside the country国产视频檚聽one-child policy,国产视频� said Jiantang Ma, the then head of China国产视频檚聽National Bureau of Statistics who conducted the census.聽

A 2015 study by the Academy of Macroeconomic Research at the聽National Development and Reform Commission found nearly half of聽China国产视频檚 unregistered citizens were illiterate or lacked formal聽education.

For during the years of the one-child policy, second聽children would not be registered in the household system unless聽a hefty fine was paid with some exceptions to this rule.

Births out of marriage are also considered a violation of聽China国产视频檚 strict family planning rules聽and unmarried couples had聽to pay a fine to register their newborn.聽

China is one of few countries which has a household聽registration system, known as hukou in Chinese, that contains聽the births, marriages and other information on citizens.

A person without a hukou record in China is denied public聽services, such as education and health care, and is barred from聽getting married, finding a job or even opening a bank account.

Wenzhuang Yang, an official at China国产视频檚 National Health and聽Family Planning Commission, denied China国产视频檚 one child policy 国产视频撀燼nd punishments associated with it 国产视频� have played a role in聽blocking millions of citizens from being registered.

At a press conference earlier this year, Yang said his聽department had tried its best to remove hurdles set by local聽authorities in household registration and many unregistered聽citizens have now been included in the hukou system.

Yang was not available to be reached for further comments聽despite repeated phone calls.聽

Unmarried mother Chunyan Liu, a freelance English teacher,聽said she was unable to pay the fine so she kept her daughter国产视频檚聽birth secret for seven years until April this year when she聽finally registered her child.

国产视频淭he fine in Beijing was really high. I thought about it聽over and over again, but still I dared not to let the government聽know that I have a child born without permission,国产视频� she told the聽Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Due to a lack of hukou, Liu国产视频檚 daughter had no access to聽government-subsidised healthcare. She was unable to buy train聽tickets or travel abroad.

国产视频淲hen other parents took their kids to the Hong Kong聽Disneyland, we couldn国产视频檛 even think of it,国产视频� Liu said.聽

国产视频淢y daughter is now seven years old聽and she has never set聽her foot outside Beijing,国产视频� she said, adding that she was still聽worried that government official might ask her to pay the fine.

Despite all the concerns, however, Liu calls herself聽国产视频渓ucky.国产视频� Last year, she tried but failed to find a place for her聽daughter to study, due to a lack of hukou.

国产视频淣ow, my daughter has everything she needs to go to public聽school,国产视频� Liu said.聽

But others are not so lucky with researchers from the聽Academy of Macroeconomic Research at the National Development聽and Reform Commission saying more than half of China国产视频檚聽unregistered citizens are above 18 years old.

Many of these adults not only lost out on schooling聽but聽also struggled to find a job as they couldn国产视频檛 provide hukou聽record and other legal documents often needed for hiring