Recordkeeping on some of the 60,000 children left behind in Xianyang, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, has been established in order to better care for the children who live apart from their parents, a city education bureau official said.

According to Zhang Cun, director of Xianyang city education bureau, files on children left behind will help teachers learn more about the children and give them proper and timely direction when the kids have physical and psychological problems.

"With the files, which provide detailed information on the kids' parents' names, their places of work and phone numbers, as well as the kids' family economic conditions, the teachers and local education authorities can easily connect with the parents and exchange information on the kids in a timely fashion," the bureau director said.

With China's rapid economic development, more and more people in rural areas have left home to work in other cities or provinces, while the children left behind have to stay in the village with grandparents who provide with food and lodging, but cannot address children's physical and psychological problems.

Xiao Hua (not his real name), 13, a grade 6 student in a rural primary school in Xianyang city, said that he has been living with his grandmother for three years and that he does not like to discuss his schooling with her.

"I don't discuss my studies with my grandmother because she is illiterate. I missed my parents very much but I know they cannot stay with me as they have to earn money for a living," the boy said.

"I make meals for him every day, but I can't educate him as he often plays online computer games with his friends. I knew his grades in school were bad, but I could not help him," said Xiao Hua's grandmother.

Ding Shouwei, head of basic education section of the city's education bureau, said that there are some 60,000 children like Xiao Hua left behind in rural areas in Xianyang.

"The left-behind children cannot take care of themselves and could not get proper help from their parents who worked far away from them.

The children who at puberty may face physical and psychological problems which they need timely help from adults," Ding said.

Liang Guangjing, a local rural primary school teacher, said the files of the left-behind children help teachers like herself to know more about the kids and whether they have problems or need guidance.

"With the files, we can pay more attention and responsibility to the kids and help them to grow up healthy," the teacher said.

According to recent statistics from the China's women's federation, the nation now has 58 million children left behind in rural areas.

These kids encounter psychological conflict and stress more than other children and face more difficulties in communication with their parents, teachers and schoolmates, the federation said.

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