“世界屋脊”是对地球上海拔最高地区的一个统称，而塔什库尔干自治县正位于“世界屋脊”中的帕米尔高原边境上。该县是中国新疆维吾尔自治区喀什地区所管辖的一个自治县。CGTN团队沿着原始的湖泊和崎岖的山峰经过六小时的车程颠簸，终于到达了海拔约五千多米的帕米尔高原边境，我们在这里要探访那些正在高原上接受教育的孩子们。 塔什库尔干自治县是以塔吉克族为主体的多民族聚居的地方，当地人习惯了这里稀薄的空气，炽烈的高原阳光和寒冷的夜风 。高原的恶劣环境与现代内陆大城市的繁华和喧嚣形成了鲜明的对比。由于高原地势的限制和资源的短缺，这里的教育问题对当地来说也一直面临着巨大的挑战。 塔什库尔干镇上的这所小学校成立于1979年，14名教师分别来自塔吉克族、维吾尔族和汉族。2015年来政府大力支持这里的师资教育，2018年建立了十一所幼儿园并提供免费教育资源，还配备了现代化教育设施例如计算机房，而这里教育的转变带动的不仅仅只有地区的物质发展，让我们看看这里发生了什么转变。 There's only one road leading to the "Roof of the World." After a six-hour drive zigzagging along pristine lakes and lofty peaks such as the isolated Muztagh Ata, we finally arrived at the Pamir Plateau, 300 kilometers from the city of Kashgar. The high altitude – over 4,000 meters above sea level – put some of us on edge, but for those who've spent their entire lives here, they've grown accustomed to the rarefied air, the beating sun and the windy nights. The only Caucasian population in China, the Chinese Tajiks have been living for generations in the Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County on the eastern side of the Pamir Mountains. This once dusty outpost on the ancient Silk Road is a far cry from the urban clamor of the country's mega-cities. Its residents were once nestled in unreachable mountainous enclaves, but they have now been relocated to flatter land in the region's plains. They are living in newly-built houses as part of the government's anti-poverty drive, and are adapting to the trappings of modernity.
Children in the Tatikul Kindergarten in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, under the city of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 13, 2019. /CGTN Photo Their transformation isn't just material – more local families are sending their children to school, bolstered by 15 years of free education and government salaries for the precious few teachers willing to teach here. Now, school is just a walk down the street for many families. The primary school of the Town of Tashkurgan – the county seat – is a novelty for many here. Established in 1979, the school has 14 teachers who are ethnic Tajik, Uygur or Han, most of whom are locals and graduated from teacher-training colleges. The school is even equipped with a slew of modern facilities such as a computer lab. The Tatikul Kindergarten in this new settlement is one of the 11 kindergartens under the primary school. Built in March 2018, it now houses 65 students.
Graffiti on the wall of the Tatikul Kindergarten in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, under the city of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 13, 2019. /CGTN Photo "When I was a kid, we had no kindergartens to attend. Now the conditions have greatly improved," said Gina Karimujan, a local Chinese Tajik who has been working here as a teacher since graduating from a training college in Kashgar. The parents, who are mostly shop owners or border guards, cherish the access that their kids have to a pre-school education comparable to those found in modern cities. "The parents are quite understanding and cooperative in participating in our kindergarten's activities," Yang Yanxia told us. She had moved with her husband to the Pamirs from Gansu, a province adjacent to Xinjiang. But challenges remain. For instance, the school struggles to retain teachers. Compared with schools in Kashgar, few from the inland regions of China are willing to stay for the long term. Even more difficult is finding teachers who specialize in non-core subjects such as arts, music and sports.
Dildare, a three-year-old girl, in front of her home in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, under the city of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 13, 2019. /CGTN Photo In addition to the shortage of resources, the environment isn't conducive to students who want to do well academically. Low oxygen levels at such high altitudes could impair cognitive abilities and lower activity levels, so families send their children to the more oxygen-rich Kashgar for middle school. This means that those who want to continue their education must leave their parents, returning home from boarding school only twice a year. Locals think of their people as the "eagles of the high mountains." Families and educators are doing their best to nurture the next generation, but flying high may have a different meaning for the next generation.