The Paracel Islands are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea, claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan. China currently controls the islands, with most civilian activity centered on Woody Island, known in Chinese as Yongxing Island. Given the islands’ very small resident population, education there is less a conventional national school system than a small, strategically located service for the children of fishers, government officials, military personnel and other island workers. Here are eight facts about education in the Paracel Islands.

8 Facts About Education in the Paracel Islands

1. Since the other islands are mostly military outposts, reefs or small settlements, formal education is centered on Woody Island – the administrative hub of China’s Sansha City. Woody Island is the largest of about 30 islands in the Paracel chain and serves as Sansha’s administrative center.
2. The key educational institution is Sansha Yongxing School, which opened in December 2015. It is described as China’s southernmost school. Since its opening, the school’s kindergarten and primary departments have reportedly operated steadily, allowing children of island fishers, military personnel and government workers to attend school locally.
3. Yongxing School grew from six students at its founding to 32 students across kindergarten and primary grades, served by eight teachers. By late 2023, local reporting claimed the school had reached a new high of 50 students, including 37 in kindergarten and 13 in primary school.
4. Before the school existed, many parents working on Woody Island had to live apart from their children. One father said the school allowed his child to finally live with him on the island, while another parent noted that, because “there is a school on the island,” his child could grow up there. The practical effect is significant: access to education has made it more feasible for civilian families to live on the islands over the long term.
5. Teaching on Woody Island comes with unusual hardship, such as isolation, typhoons and limited services. Seventy-seven teachers worked at Yongxing School between 2015 and 2023. After 2018, the school was co-managed with Qiongtai Normal University, with eight formal teaching positions and three-year contracts. 
6. A tiny island school cannot staff every specialty, so digital teaching is critical. Yongxing School uses synchronized online classes with schools in Haikou, including Chinese classics lessons twice a week. The school found that information technology helps compensate for its limited access to specialist teaching resources. 
7. Yongxing School is not only for children. China’s Ministry of Education revealed that the school library and electronic reading room were opened to island residents. Additionally, the school offered more than 60 adult vocational courses, providing training to 763 people in areas such as deep-sea fishing and aquaculture.

Looking Ahead

Education in the Paracel Islands remains politically sensitive and shaped by geography. There is no large school system, university sector or published learning-outcome dataset. Still, the available evidence shows that Yongxing School has become a pivotal civilian institution. It keeps families together, offers early and primary education and supports adult training. 

– Jeff Zhou 

Photo: Flickr