I found that the salary for a primary teacher in the countryside averages $30 US a month with some teachers getting as little as $15 US. A child can go to school there for $25 US a semester or $50 US for a school year. China's policy is to require universal free public education until the age of 14, but children still have to pay tuition for books and other expenses. If a child's family is too poor to pay, they don't get to go to school, which is a terrible waste of a life. Jacob, who is stand in the back, is my teacher/student. They waited hours for us to arrive.