The evil of subcontracting jobs

Some regular sanitation workers in Zhengzhou, Henan province, pay elderly rural residents 1,240 yuan ($203) a month to "work" for them as temporary workers and take the rest of the monthly salary of 3,000 yuan without actually doing any work, compelling the authorities to start an investigation into the scandal, says an article in Beijing Times. Excerpts:

Many media outlets have carried reports on sanitation workers in cities, saying their salary is low and their rights and interests are not protected. As a result, the public assumed that the workers referred to in the reports were employed by government departments without suspecting that they were instead "hired" by regular workers to do their work for less than half their salary.

This may appear shocking to people, but subcontracting work has become quite common in several fields today. In some less developed areas, the situation is worse. For example, many graduates from normal colleges who fail to find jobs easily fall prey to such subcontracting scandals.

But the case in Zhengzhou is far worse. Some regular workers employed by the local hygiene department subcontracted their jobs to rural residents for less than half their salary and used the work hours to make more money doing other jobs, which is indeed absurd.

The problem may appear to be with the local sanitation department's supervision. But perhaps a thorough reform is needed for government departments to adopt an employment system akin to private companies in order to eliminate such scandalous practices.

Why do children not love books?

After receiving complaints from readers about children creating a din in new library in Zhengzhou, Henan province, which had opened its doors to young students as a trial project, the authorities decided to prohibit children below 14 years from entering the library. But by keeping children confined to an open area outside the reading room, the library authorities cannot fulfill their aim of inspiring them to read books by building a reading zone exclusively for kids, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

The reality is that, despite fulfilling its promise of building a reading zone for children, the library may not succeed in instilling the love of books among children. The question the library authorities should answer is: Why are today's children not interested in reading books?

Reading books outside the syllabus is a meaningful activity that expands the scope of knowledge of a child. But most children cannot do so because of the heavy load of homework and the failure of school authorities to guide them properly. Even parents are to be blamed for not setting a good example for their children when it comes to reading books.

Also, distracted by games, toys, electronic devices, TV and the Internet, many children today don't even think of reading books.

Therefore, during summer vacations when parents have to work during daytime, residential communities should take the responsibility of providing an environment which is not only safe for children but also offers them a space to play and read books. But unfortunately, not many residential communities are willing to offer such a non-profit service on a long-term basis.

(China Daily USA 08/20/2013 page12)