the two pictures look so similar at one glance, but they are totally different. in the first picture, a peasant boy, carrying a heavy bundle of rice straw is out of breath under the great pressure. his hope is to have a school to attend. in the second picture, a student is on his way home from school, a heavy bag of books on his back. what he wishes is that he didn’t have to go to school any more. how can the two boys at the same age have such different ideas about attending school?

　　the two pictures show some problems in the present education system in china. in the poor countryside, especially in some western parts of china, the education is also poor. there are no buildings for classrooms, let alone good teachers. children there cannot have regular education. they are sometimes forced to leave their studies because their families cannot afford the necessary fees. however, the situation is totally different in the cities. almost all the children in the cities can have regular education. they can enjoy the bright classrooms and adequate facilities. but they have their own problems. what they face is the endless homework, which puts so much pressure on them that some students don’t want to continue their studies.

　　given the problems above, our government has taken some measures. “the hope project” has been in operation to ensure that children in the poor areas can achieve education. some strategies have also been put into force to reduce the pressure on the students. teachers are asked not to give too much homework. emphasis should be put on the improvement of the quality of the students. however, there is a long way to go in the improvement of our education conditions. the whole society should be mobilized to make some contributions to our education.