Yesterday I shared a travel story about fast food and how my mindset was changed by an experience in Central China. Today I’m sharing another experience that also took place in Central China.

Story 2: Education

California, my home state, falls in the bottom of the pack in terms of education (47 out of 50). Yet despite all the gripes about how our public education system is inadequate, compared to the rest of the world as a whole, America is still way ahead.

My travels in China have given me a greater appreciation for what our tax dollars offer us here in the States. The majority of China consists of ethnic Han Chinese, but there are also millions of minority peoples. I’ve had opportunities to travel in Tibetan areas where I’ve visited minority schools and have seen the poor and meager conditions they face. Like other minority schools, Tibetan schools face financial difficulties. They struggle to receive educational helps and subsidies that comparable Han Chinese schools usually receive from the government. What this translates to for the students is a lack of teaching materials and proper facilities and a lack of qualified teachers.

One particularly poor Tibetan county I visited held special school sessions for children from nomad families that couldn’t afford tuition costs for primary school. The teachers of these schools would offer free education for a few weeks in the summer for these children.

What insights have I gained from these trips into Tibetan villages? I agree that education programs and school conditions might be horrible in some place in the U.S. such as the inner-cities, but compared to the rest of the world, we ought to still count our blessings.  There are plenty of education resources here in the West that can help benefit developing countries.

Jesus teaches us in Luke 12:48b “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” For those of us who have benefited from a good education, such as university, do indeed have a greater responsibility.

As a follower of Christ who seeks to be a good steward, what is the implication of this greater responsibility? Maybe our college education and higher paying jobs is a means to provide others with similar educational opportunities. Practically, we can sponsor the education of one child through organizations such as World Vision, or we can sponsor programs that supply developing countries with books and teaching supplies. (Books for Africa, Book Aid, Room to Read).  One way or another, it would be awesome to see resources shared with those who need it the most.