Each year, more than 200 million Chinese children – more than one out of every fifteen children in the world – are denied access to a quality education.

As China’s economy has developed, the divide between rich and poor has widened dramatically. We face not just an income gap, but an achievement gap. Children in low-income communities have little chance to make a better life for themselves, simply because of where they were born. While 80% of Chinese students from major urban centers are able to attend college, one of the greatest indicators of economic mobility, only 3% of their peers from rural regions will have the opportunity to pursue higher education.

We call this problem education inequity. While many factors contribute to education inequity, one of the root causes in China is a lack of effective teachers. Classrooms are overcrowded and teachers lack the support and training needed to lead their students to overcome challenging environments.

Why should a child’s opportunities in life be determined by where he or she is born?