印度小学让家长用种树代替交学费

印度恰蒂斯加尔邦的一所小学允许父母种植一棵树苗来抵消学费，这么做的目的是为了鼓励更多的学生接受教育，即便是那些家境困难的孩子。

To encourage all students to get an education, even if their parents can't afford it, a primary school in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh is asking parents to simply plant a tree sapling instead of paying school fees.
印度恰蒂斯加尔邦的一所小学要求家长用栽种树苗代替交学费，以鼓励更多的学生接受教育，即便是那些家长无力负担学费的孩子。

The parents have to take care of the sapling and plant a new one if it dies - but compared to the cost of traditional school fees, it's a small price to pay.
家长要负责照顾树苗，如果树苗死了，就要再种一棵新的。但这和传统学校的学费相比已经便宜很多了。

And it comes with the added bonus of helping to improve local air quality.
这一举措还有助于改善当地的空气质量。

The school is Shiksha Kuteer in the city of Ambikapur in the east of the country.
这所名为教育茅屋的小学位于印度东部的阿姆比卡普尔市。

According to Asian News International, at least 35 students between the ages of four and five are studying there.
据亚洲国际新闻社报道，至少有35名四到五岁儿童就读于该小学。

The initiative was set up by a group of local professionals and business owners in response to India's skyrocketing education fees.
面对印度飞速上涨的教育费用，一个由当地专家和商人组成的组织发起了本次倡议。

Currently, the government spends just 3.9 percent of its budget on education, which means parents are left to pay for hefty school fees, as well as paying for books and school supplies.
目前，印度政府仅将3.9%的预算花在教育上，因此家长不仅要支付高昂的学费，还要为书本和学习用具买单。

A national survey released last year showed that between 2008 and 2014, private expenditure has increased by 175 percent to Rs6,788 per student each year (US$100).
去年发布的一项全国调查表明，2008至2014年间，每位学生的年均私人教育支出上涨了175%，达到了6788卢比（约合100美元）。

That might not sound like a lot, but for many families - particularly in rural regions - it's not affordable, especially at the primary school level.
虽然100美元听起来并不多，但是很多印度家庭，尤其是农村地区的家庭都负担不起，何况这还只是小学学费。

"In Delhi alone, the average expenditure on general education has grown three times since 2008," Maria Thomas wrote for Quartz last year.
去年，玛利亚•托马斯在给Quartz网的文章中写道：“2008年以来，光是在德里，普通教育的平均花费就已经增长了三倍。”

"This starts right from the nursery level, with parents spending more money on donations and fees than the cost of degrees at Delhi University and even some management institutes."
“教育费用的上涨从幼儿园就已经开始了，家长的捐款和学费花销比在德里大学或某些管理学院获得学位的费用还要高。”

The lack of government spending is also damaging the education system too.
由于缺少政府的资金支持，教育系统的教学质量也有所下降。

The 2014 Annual Status of Education report found that nearly 20 percent of grade 2 students, aged seven or eight, didn't recognise the numbers between one and nine.
2014年的印度年度教育现状报告表明，七八岁的小学二年级学生中，有近20%认不全从一到九的个位数。

But by offering an affordable way to get students into schools, Shiksha Kuteer is encouraging education for everyone.
但教育茅屋通过让学生上得起学来促进全民教育。

So far, the school has received an overwhelming response, and 700 saplings have been planted across the village over the last year.
到目前为止，该校的举措得到了积极响应。仅去年一年，家长已经在村庄里种了700棵树苗。

"Shiksha Kuteer has opened in the village for students who are poor and have no money to pay fees," local villager, Sevak Das, told Asian News International.
村民西瓦克•达斯告诉亚洲国际新闻社：“教育茅屋是为没钱交学费的贫困学生开设的。”

"Students are being taught in English medium. They are being taught till a certain standard and their guardians have been asked to plant saplings instead of paying fees."
“学校用英语授课，在学生达到一定水平之前，他们都会在这里接受教育。学校要求监护人用栽种树苗代替交学费。”

This is just one small in a small village in India, but if the approach works, it could be something that other schools look into.
虽然教育茅屋只是一个印度小村庄里的小学校，但如果它的方法奏效，这对其他学校来说就是个值得借鉴的案例。

And it can't hurt, because every day, air pollution becomes a worsening problem in many parts of India.
该方法并无不妥，因为在印度很多地区，空气污染问题正变得日益严重。

Last month, Delhi's air was so toxic that its schools had to shut down.
上个月，德里的空气污染严重，当地学校只得停课。

While a few trees aren't going to solve that problem any time soon, making families plant and take care of a tree - and replace it if it dies - is a way to encourage positive air-purifying action, as well as helping to educate the next generation.
尽管种几棵树在短期内无法解决空气污染问题，但学生家长种下一棵树并照顾它，如果树死掉的话还要再种一棵新的，这种方法能对积极的空气净化行动起到鼓励作用，还能教育下一代。