少数民族教育发展中的因富辍学悖论问题——以云南省沿边经济林区为例

The Paradox of “Dropouts due to Wealthier Conditions”in the Development of Ethnic Minorities' Education——Taking the Economic Forests in the Border Area of Yunnan Province as A Case Study

因富辍学为当下少数民族教育发展中的一个典型特案。基于此,本文立足于云南省沿边经济林区少数民族教育的实证调研,就少数民族教育发展中的因富辍学悖论问题,进行了相关学理性辩证关系探讨。"因富辍学"现象在云南沿边经济林区较为突出,有其悖论性,也有其非悖论性。悖论性在于,在公众的一般认识中,一个"边少"地区,在经济发展水平上必然会与"贫困"对应,"因富辍学"让人费解;非悖论性在于,特殊地域与特殊民情背后的辍学原因实有其特殊性,该地带处于小乘佛教特殊文化区,佛教教育有其影响力,所以接受教育的选择是世俗教育与宗教教育同行。再者,世俗教育专业课程设置并未体现"学以致用"的功能价值,致使"学"与"用"脱节,导致"读书无用论"泛起。

The paradox of ＂dropouts due to wealthier conditions＂is a typical case in the development of ethnic minorities＇ education. Based on an empirical research of the development of ethnic minority education in the district of the economic forests along the border areas of Yunnan province,this article explores the dialectical relationship regarding the paradoxical phenomenon of students＂dropping out due to wealthier conditions＂. In the case of this empirical study,this phenomenon is more prominent in Yunnan province,and has both paradoxical and non-paradoxical aspects. The paradoxical aspect is this： In the general public＇s understanding,a ＂frontier-ethnic ＂region,in terms of economic development,is bound to be ＂poor＂.Therefore,within the context of educational development,＂dropouts ＂ should be in linked with＂poverty ＂ rather than ＂ with wealthier conditions＂. The non-paradoxical aspect is： The reasons behind some specific people dropping out of school in some certain places are special. So,for example,in the ＂economic forest ＂ areas of the Yunnan border regions,the reality is that the overall economic level of the students＇ families is relatively good and ＂the reason for their dropping out of school is due to the wealthier conditions of their families＂. What is unique about this area is that itlies in a special Theravada Buddhism cultural zone. Therefore, the people in this area could choose to receive secular education and religious education at the same time. However,the design of the professional curriculum of secular education does not embody the functional value of ＂learning something in order to apply it＂. This creates a disconnect between ＂learning ＂ and ＂applying ＂knowledge,which,in turn,leads to ＂the idea of the uselessness of study＂. In short,the phenomenon of ＂ dropping out due to wealthier conditions ＂is a fact in the ethnic minority education system.Therefore,we should not only pay attention to the problem of＂dropping out due to poverty＂,but also to the paradox of ＂dropping out due to wealthier conditions＂.Ethnic minority education is an important part of national education. In other words,ethnic minority education means national education in a narrow sense. Therefore,in specific ethnic areas,national education mainly refers to ethnic minority education. The concerns regarding weaknesses in ethnic minority education is one important part of the research on ethnic education. In terms of the weaknesses in ethnic minority education,the dropout problem is an important parameter with which to evaluate the level of development of the basiceducation of ethnic minorities. The problem of dropouts has obvious characteristics of the times,making it a hot topic in the research of basic education for all circles. Since then,along with the overall improvement of people＇s living standards,the growth in the income of ordinary people,the implementation of the free compulsory education,the dropout problem is no longer considered a problem in basic educational development and one which concerns people. This can be seen from the results of a study of the dropout problems in different times. Among the various research results,more than half of them were conducted during the time from the late 1990 s to the year of 2008. However,over time,especially during the period of2008-2012,related studies clearly weakened,which proves that the dropout problem eased somewhat. However,after 2012,the research findings on the dropout problem have gradually increased.The focus of the research findings of the dropout problem,either in earlier times or in recent years,has been on the dropout problem in rural and frontier ethnic minority areas, and the findings are mostly related to objective social factors,including backward economic conditions,unequal distribution of educational resources, etc. Generally speaking,most research on the dropout problem in rural and ethnic minority areas takes economic factors as an important premise for the evaluation and investigation of the reasons for dropping out from schools,and states that ＂ dropping out is due to the poverty ＂. Only a few studies have touched upon ＂non-poverty ＂,＂not related to economic reasons ＂and ＂recessive dropouts＂.In sum,the dropout problem,especially the problem in ethnic minority areas,is a topic that has re-emerged in the present time, no matter whether it is seen from the perspective of ＂poverty＂or the perspective of ＂ non-poverty＂. Thus,it is clear that the problem of dropouts has not been eradicated by the nine-year free compulsory educational system. Instead,there has appeared a new phenomenon of a dropout paradox. Therefore,when we explore the dropout problem in ethnic minority areas,we should not only pay attention to the phenomenon of ＂dropping out due to poverty＂,but also to the economic paradox which restricts the ethnic minority students＇ subjectively from receiving education in special contexts. This subjective economic paradox is particularly obvious in economic forest region, i. e., the rubber and tea planting region along the border areas of Yunnan province—it embodies the phenomenon of ＂dropping out due to wealthier conditions＂in these areas. The deeper reasons behind the ＂dropouts＂,as well as its paradox in the ethnic minority educational development,require us to further clarify and give necessary theoretical exploration so that we can provide some theoretical references and practical suggestions with regard to the development of ethnic minority education in some specific ethnic regions.