Foreign
Qinghai middle school flourishing under paired assistance from Shanghai
By Jia Fengfeng, People’s Daily
Golog Tibetan autonomous prefecture in northwest China’s Qinghai province faces enormous challenges in education development due to its high altitude, inhospitable climate, harsh environment and severe natural conditions.
“We have invested considerably in infrastructure, but the harsh climate conditions have severely hindered its effectiveness,” said Jormai Tentseng, director of the education bureau of Golog.
Sports fields built in schools, exposed to scorching sunlight and extreme coldness, always become uneven and filled with potholes in just a few years, the director added.
To better meet local people’s needs for quality education resources, expand teaching staff and improve educational standards in pastoral areas, the Golog Xining Ethnic Middle School was established in Xining, capital of Qinghai province, with the paired assistance provided by Shanghai.
On July 21, 2017, the construction of the school commenced, and in just two years, the school was put into use. The school has a standard sports field, multimedia classrooms, spacious and clean cafeteria and dormitories, as well as a library and technology museum.
Over 1,000 students from high-altitude pastoral areas, with an average elevation of over 4,200 meters, have come to the school to study and pursue their dreams.
The excellent facilities of the school have greatly improved the students’ academic performance, and the teachers’ caring warmed the hearts of the students.
Yesi Tsering, 15, who grew up with his family on grasslands, is the kind of person who really feels the cold. Thanks to the heating in his dormitory, he doesn’t feel cold anymore even with just a thin blanket.
“After coming to Xining, my horizons have expanded a lot. In the classes, we have ‘visited’ many places and ‘met’ many people,” the student told People’s Daily.
As lunch time approached, a teaching seminar was still on in the library of the school.
“You feel confident in front of the class only if you’ve thoroughly mastered every concept and planned out exactly what to teach and how to teach it,” said Chen Wei, who teaches chemistry to 12th grade students at the school, to Bai Yufang, who teaches chemistry to 11th grade students, in a rather stern tone, while reviewing and correcting Bai’s teaching plan, going through it word by word.
Chen has been a teacher for over two decades. He’s a member of Shanghai’s fifth batch of education assistance team aiding Qinghai. Bai, who just started working a year ago, is both Chen’s colleague and apprentice.
“We have 62 teachers at the school, with an average age of only around 30. The majority of them were born in the 1990s. Although they lack teaching and management experience, they are highly adaptable and willing to accept new stuffs. They are full of energy,” said Chen, who has long regarded himself as a part of this place.
“Given that our students’ foundational knowledge is still relatively weak, it’s all the more important that we make our lessons engaging and thorough,” Chen told People’s Daily.
There are six other teachers who came to the school together with Chen. They are not accustomed to the altitude and climate there, and most of them have poor sleep and chest distress. However, none of them lowers the standards with regard to their jobs.
“We’re adapting Shanghai’s successful teaching methods and experiences to improve our systems, including teacher performance evaluations and student daily management,” said Chang Tu, principal of the Golog Xining Ethnic Middle School who came from the Chu’neng Middle School affiliated to the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.
Besides, teachers from Shanghai also take on management positions, trying to cultivate an outstanding local teaching team, Chang added.
Educational aid is about improving teaching capabilities of a certain place, and also the introduction of external educational resources to that place.
In August 2018, the Golog Xining Ethnic Middle School joined Datong Education Group based in Shanghai’s Huangpu district. Since then, the education bureau of Huangpu district has sent 80 education experts to Golog in 16 batches.
In June last year, 10 teachers of the Golog Xining Ethnic Middle School joined a training session organized by a joint teaching and research workshop established by Datong Education Group, turning the one-way educational aid into two-way exchanges.
“A total of 126 students joined the national college entrance exam last year, and 90 of them, or 71.43 percent, qualified for bachelor’s programs,” Chang said. According to him, the score of 69 students crossed the first-class admission threshold.
Just after 3:00 P.M., a classroom at the Golog Xining Ethnic Middle School was buzzing with activity – a meeting of the robotics club was going on.
Under the instruction of their teacher, Wang Huiyun, students were simulating scenarios for obtaining, storing, and using renewable energy.
“When we first started our information and technology classes, we began by teaching students how to type,” Wang said.
“But these kids are smart and hardworking,” he noted. After more than a year of study, they had not only mastered basic computer skills but also begun to explore and innovate on their own. Their efforts paid off at the 13th Qinghai province youth robotics competition, where the robotics club won second place in the middle school division.
According to Chang, the school has launched study tours to the Qinghai Provincial Museum and the Qinghai Natural Resources Museum, invited Chinese calligraphy experts to give lectures, and hosted featured sports games.
“With a science-based educational approach, we will comprehensively evaluate students’ growth, prioritizing moral development and tailoring teaching methods. Our aim is to instill in children both the courage to venture beyond their hometowns and the ability to contribute to their communities,” Chang remarked.
Foreign
Trump begins mass layoffs at Voice of America

The Trump administration has initiated sweeping layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters, effectively dismantling institutions long seen as critical for American influence abroad.
On Sunday, contractors working for VOA received an email notification that their employment would be terminated by the end of March. “You must cease all work immediately and are not permitted to access any agency buildings or systems,” the email read, according to multiple staff members who confirmed the development.
The move, which comes just a day after all employees were placed on administrative leave, disproportionately affects non-English-language services, where contractors make up a significant portion of the workforce. Many of these contractors are not U.S. citizens and may now face visa issues, further complicating their status in the country.
While most full-time staff remain employed for now, they have been told not to work, leaving VOA and its sister organizations in a state of uncertainty. Some services, unable to produce new programming, have resorted to playing music.
VOA, founded during World War II, has been a critical tool for U.S. public diplomacy, broadcasting in 49 languages to audiences in countries where press freedom is restricted. However, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday targeting its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), as part of broader federal budget cuts.
The cuts extend beyond VOA, affecting other U.S.-funded media entities such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio Farda (which broadcasts in Persian to Iran), and Alhurra, an Arabic-language network launched after the 2003 Iraq invasion. The administration argues that taxpayers should not fund what it calls “radical propaganda,” despite VOA’s longstanding editorial independence.
Liam Scott, a VOA journalist covering press freedom and disinformation, expressed concern over the decision. “I’ve covered press freedom for a long time, and I’ve never seen something like what’s happened in the U.S. over the past couple of months,” he wrote on social media.
The move has drawn international attention, particularly from China and Russia, which have been expanding their own state-funded media efforts. The Chinese state-run *Global Times* reacted with an editorial declaring that “the monopoly of information held by traditional Western media is being shattered.”
Trump’s administration has pursued aggressive cuts across federal agencies, including eliminating most foreign aid and significantly reducing the Department of Education. With input from tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump has focused on reducing government size to facilitate tax cuts.
As the global media landscape shifts, the dismantling of U.S.-funded broadcasters leaves a vacuum that could be filled by rival state-controlled networks. Whether Congress or legal challenges will intervene remains to be seen, but for now, the future of America’s international broadcasting efforts hangs in the balance.
Foreign
Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport migrants allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under a wartime law.
US District Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order preventing the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel undocumented migrants accused of gang ties. The order initially protected five individuals challenging the deportation but was later expanded to all affected noncitizens in US custody.
Boasberg also directed that any planes carrying these migrants be returned to the United States. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned,” he ruled. The restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action.
The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, citing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States” and is engaging in hostile actions. However, civil rights groups, including the ACLU, argue that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an invasion.
The Justice Department has appealed the ruling, while the case continues in court.
Foreign
China’s new chapter in global innovation

By Gu Yekai, Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily
At a smart construction project site managed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a quiet technological revolution is underway. Amid cranes and concrete, engineers are deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could fundamentally reshape the construction industry.
Li Fengjian, an AI specialistwith Xianyuan Technology, detailed how the company’s latest intelligent system – built on a large model – adapts to complex construction environments.”Engineering machinery equipped with intelligent agents can adjust its operations automatically in response to weather conditions,” Li explained, adding that a spatiotemporal sensing network further enhances the system, providing real-time tracking of both personnel and materials throughout the construction site.
In February this year, Xianyuan Technology rapidly integrated its self-developed model with DeepSeek-R1, effectively blending a general-purpose framework with industry-specific models. This integration, Li noted, has produced a solution capable of delivering expert-level performance in challenging, dynamic environments. The firm is based in the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, aburgeoning AI incubator that now hosts over 200 innovative enterprises.
China’s technological transformation extends well beyond the construction sector. Overthe past three decades, the country has evolved from its initial forays into internet connectivity to becoming a key player in global digital innovation.
Here, a steady stream of technological innovations are emerging, from the early days of emails and web browsing to the cutting-edge technologies represented by DeepSeek and the dynamic evolution of social media.
Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and headof the Zhongguancun Laboratory, pointed out that while China had introduced only one internet standard before 2005, it now contributes to over 200 worldwide. Such strides illustrate the country’s concerted push toward high-level technological self-reliance – a journey marked by both persistence and determination.
Beyond the digital realm, China is makingsignificant inroads in aerospace, new energy, and other high-tech sectors. It has transitioned from being a follower to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global leaders, and in some areas, even taking the lead. Wu attributed these achievements to a dynamic ecosystem of policy reforms and talent cultivation that encourages creativity and technical expertise at every level.
Amid intensifying international competition, collaborative research and the integration of new technologies with traditional industries are central to China’s high-quality economic development.
Mei Linhai, a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, remarked that the age of AI calls for continuous exploration. “In this era, everyone is an innovator. Only by persistently pushing the boundaries can we remain at the forefront of both technological and industrial development,” Mei observed.
In the field of general-purpose AI, Mei emphasized that independent innovation is paramount. He advocates for a self-driven industrial ecosystem that leveragesbreakthrough technologies to boost productivity and unlock new possibilities, Mei said.
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