Education and Repertoires of Care in Migrant Families in Rural China

Abstract

This article explores the repertoires of care practiced by adults in two rural counties in China as they raised children in support of their families' education-oriented migration projects. Rural parents and grandparent-caregivers practiced the repertoires of "revalorized domesticity" and the "entrustment" of children's education to schools. Importantly, though, families' enactments of these repertoires varied by the adults' social locations as well as by the characteristics of the local schools, including whether schools provided accommodation and meals and whether there was a buoyant private school sector. Certainly, schools significantly supplemented rural families' child-raising, albeit differently across different families and localities, with rural teachers commonly perceiving that parental migration worsened rural adults' lack of involvement in their children's education, exacerbating their own professional burdens. However, contrary to the teachers' and the wider society's perceptions, rural adults were deeply committed to their children's education, with this commitment underlaying their repertoires of care.

A Comparative Study of Local Legislation on Family Education in China

“…The responsibilities of various government departments in family education should be clarified in the regulations, and funds for family education should be included in the financial budget at an appropriate level. In remote rural areas, family education becomes even more lacking when parents "go out" to work [6] . The promotion and leadership of the government in family education in the 10 provinces (cities) are reflected in the establishment of family education service centers and sites as well as family education platforms.…”