The problem of sluggish enrollment in ethnic schools: The case of one Dongvillage in Shaoyang, Hunan

This paper tries to move beyond the tradition-modernity dichotomy rooted in current ethnic education policy via a case study of one ethnic Dong villag e in China. The main argument is that education policy in general brings ab out results that cannot be fully presented in the human capital or statist approach. These approaches reduce the level of analysis to the individual i n theory as well as in practice and may damage the popular trust in the gov ernment's enrollment campaign. Inappropriate incentives can cause misalloca tion of already scarce resources. Finally, ethnic education that is ignoran t of local responses may be detrimental to both modernization and civic edu cation. Ethnicity, or some form of imagined ethnicity, is not necessarily i ncompatible with the institution of schooling. To the state, the low enroll ment problem in Dong areas is the result of poverty and backward culture. T he meaning of schooling should be open to interpretation by local ethnic co mmunities, who should be given ample room to put their ideas into practice.