Brief Analysis on Weakening of Social Mobility Function of Rural

范榮

【Abstract】This paper reveals the hazards and influence of distrusting educational system on the farmers. The educational fairness cannot be promoted in reality unless the dual structure of urban and rural areas is weakened.

【Key words】dual structure of urban and rural areas； rural education； social stratification； social mobility； educational fairness

1. Hazards of social mobility weakening of rural education against a background of dual structure of urban and rural areas

As the primary motivation mechanism for social members to realize social mobility， education is a channel for farmers to change their status at the low level of the society and enter into a higher social class， and rural students place the highest expectation on education. However， along with weakening of social mobility in rural education， this expectation becomes merely a delusion. The crisis of trust gradually prevails among rural parents and students， and its harm is tremendous for students and the society.

At first， the function of school education is completely damaged in the villages， which ultimately causes decline of educational level and cultural quality of the whole society. The function of social stratification in school education is more significant for rural students compared with urban students. At first， the education cost of rural students is very large. From the perspective of relative quantity， such education cost accounts for a high proportion in the total income of farmers families. And this cost also includes opportunity cost due to accepting education. Secondly， as rural students lack social capital， the education in schools is the fairest channel to realize social mobility with their own efforts. Under such circumstances， the function of social mobility of education is the most attractive cause to attract rural students to invest in education. If the education in schools cannot promote their social status and improve their life conditions， and some education investment may deteriorate their original life， they may determine to abandon education in schools. Therefore， other educational functions are lost in the villages， so the functions of school education are completely lost in the villages.

Secondly， a lot of young people leave schools early and enter the labor market. Their low cultural quality does not meet the demand of social labor with owing to development of technology， which hinders social development to some extent， and their own low quality will determine that they will be excluded from the labor market due to technical factor in the future. On one hand， along with the acceleration of urbanization， the quality of rural population will determine the possibility of rural surplus labor shifting， and the low quality of rural population will result in talent constraint for urban development. On the other hand， along with the capability decline of industrial development in cities to absorb low-quality labor， they will return to villages in the future， but villages do not need such a large quantity of workers， and they will not engage in agricultural work in the meantime， so they will encounter helpless conditions. Along with the acceleration of urbanization in the villages， they cannot become owners in their towns due to their low quality. Therefore， their social status will become more marginalised and unchangeable.

Furthermore， the theory that study is useless will widely spread. This theory further weakens rural parents emphasis on education， and makes rural students lack motivation to study and ambitious aggression. Thus， a vicious circle takes shape and farmers social status becomes more unchangeable. With respect to rural education， the education in schools by which rural students expect to promote their social status hinders rural students to promote their social status now and becomes a negative potential function. For the society， the education in schools results in the theory that study is useless in rural villages. This is an unexpected result.

2. Mutual influences of social stratification and education fairness in the dual structure of urban and rural areas

The mutual influence between social stratification and education fairness against a background of dual structure of urban and rural areas is actually a process of vicious circle. As long as the current dual structure of urban and rural areas is not reformed fundamentally， it will constrain the balanced development between urban and rural areas and cause education unfairness. And the unfair education will further influence and deepen the attributes of dual economic structure， enlarge the gap between the rich and the poor and hinder the benign mobility of all social classes. The fixed social stratification like a pyramid will make social fairness become impossible. Thus， the fair education cannot be realized merely through reforming education policies. The educational fairness cannot be promoted fundamentally unless the dual structure of urban and rural areas is weakened.