University guards turn students
-
When 18-year-old Zhang Guoqiang came to Beijing to work as a temporary security guard at the prestigiousPeking University in 1994, having only a middle-school diploma, he probably never expected he could go to atop college himself one day.
Almost 20 years later, after completing a basic education at the university mainly through self-study, he has earned degrees in law and business management from Tsinghua University anda top Party school for the training of Chinese officials.
He has even passed the National Judicial Examination, which qualifies him to be a lawyer inChina.
Zhang, who is now the deputy director of campus security for the university, said his family isproud of him and he is satisfied with his life.
Zhang is not alone.
Wang Guiming, head of the security guards at Peking University, told China Daily that since1994, more than 350 security guards employed there have gone to junior colleges oruniversities to pursue higher education.
"The number is increasing by 20 to 30 each year in recent years," Wang said.
Wang said most of the security guards at Peking University hold middle school or high schooldiplomas and are aged between 23 and 25, around the same age as the university's students.
"Students at the university have inspired our security guards a lot, making them believe thatthey also have the possibility to become university students if they study hard," Wang said.
Zhang first worked as a temp at the university for only 180 yuan ($29) a month after stints onconstruction sites and in factories. "I kept 80 yuan for living and sent the remaining 100 yuanhome to support my family," Zhang said, recalling his earlier hard life.
He realized a college education could be his ticket to a better life after he heard a graduate ofPeking University who worked for a foreign company could earn a monthly salary of more than2,000 yuan at that time.
In 1997, he enrolled in a law course in a continuing education program at Peking University,which required students to pass 14 examinations before graduating with a diploma.
"I tried to find time to study at least four hours a day as a part-time student," he said. Aftercompleting his law studies, he took similar self-study courses for working adults at TsinghuaUniversity and the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, andgraduated with degrees in law and business management in 2005.
Wang, the head of campus security, said the university encouraged hard-studying graduates topursue their dreams.
For example, although the dormitory had a curfew that specified lights should be turned offafter 10 pm, guards were allowed to continue to study in the lighted meeting room.
Ge Daoshun, a sociologist from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Zhang and hiscolleagues set a good example in showing that all people can all strive to improve their livesand change their destiny through their own efforts.
"They demonstrated to people with their own experiences that anyone under any circumstancecan find suitable resources and conditions to improve themselves," Ge said. "We should beadept to look for such resources and conditions, just like these security guards did."
In 2000, before Zhang gained his diploma from the junior college for working adults, he waspromoted to squadron leader of the security guards.
In 2007, he was appointed as deputy director of campus security at the university, earning asalary of more than 4,000 yuan a month, more than 10 times what he earned when he startedwork at the university.
Unlike Zhang, some guards have chosen to change careers after they earned their collegeeducation.
Zhang Juncheng, who is not related to Zhang Guoqiang, was a security guard at PekingUniversity 14 years ago, where he became known as "the university's first security guard topursue higher education". He is now principal of a vocational school in Changzhi, Shanxiprovince.
After he completed basic law studies at Peking University through self-study, he went on toearn a degree in law from Shanxi Normal University.
Since he returned to Changzhi, his hometown, he has worked in several vocational schools asa teacher of economics, politics, philosophy and legal knowledge, and was also promoted to domanagerial and administrative work.
In 2006, Chaoyue Vocational School in Changzhi invited him to be its vice-principal, offeringhim a monthly salary of more than 8,000 yuan. He was promoted to principal in September2010.
Gan Xiangwei, another former security guard at Peking University, obtained a college diplomafrom the university with a major in Chinese language and literature in 2012 and is now apublished author and frequent public speaker.
His 120,000-word book - Attending Peking University on My Feet - was published in June 2012,with a preface written by Zhou Qifeng, president of the university.
"The money I get from giving speeches is enough for me to maintain a good life," Gan said. "Now I have a rented room filled with books, a desk to read books on and enough money to buyany book I like without a glimpse of the price.
"This is a life I have been dreaming about since I was a child, and after years of hard work, Ifinally realized my dream."
-
OOps! LoL....wrong forum. can the Mod move topic to wonderful world? Gracia!
-
No time to read the whole story, sorry for that, what's the content abt?