Chapter 157 The number of people reaches the standard
Cui Jun frowned, the delicacies of Chang'an were tasteless to him.
According to the current progress, when the time agreed between him and Wang Ding comes, he will be able to recruit at most 700 students.
"Sir, why don't you call Dr. Jia and Dr. Yang?" Cui Jun's chief clerk He Xing said.
As the chief registrar of the Chang'an Order, He Xing has been in Chang'an for many years and knows more than Cui Jun.
Jia Xu and Yang Xiu are both from Wang Ding, and I heard that they are both very smart. Especially Yang Xiu, who first built a waterwheel when he was the captain of Dian Nong School. Now there are many agricultural tools that are convenient for farming.
They were all built by Yang Xiu.
Cui Jun thought for a while and said: "That's the only way."
He didn't want to be looked down upon by Wang Ding, but he had to complete this task.
Since there is nothing you can do in a short period of time, there is no shame in asking others for advice.
It is better than having the half-month period come and he not recruiting enough students and being embarrassed in front of Wang Ding.
And when the time comes, it will not only be embarrassing for him, but Wang Ding who came to attend the opening ceremony will also be embarrassed, and even affect Wang Ding's prestige in Chang'an.
"I'm going out for a while, so you can do your work properly and don't chat." Cui Jun warned, and led the accompanying boy out of the Yamen.
Cui Jun first went to Jia Xu. Compared with Yang Xiu, Jia Xu was older and considered Cui Jun's elder. Cui Jun asked Jia Xu for advice without much burden in his heart.
"The lower official, Chang'an, ordered Cui Jun to pay homage to Dr. Guanglu." Cui Jun saluted.
Jia Xu smiled and said: "Cui Ling doesn't need to be polite. I wonder what Cui Ling has to do with me?"
Cui Jun said: "Recently, the Japanese officials are planning to open an elementary school in Chang'an City. Notices have been posted, but there are very few people who have signed up. I came here to ask for advice, sir. Is there any way?"
Wang was determined to open an elementary school and handed it over to Cui Jun, so Jia Xu naturally knew about it.
But Jia Xu didn't pay too much attention. He thought about it and said, "Cui Ling knows, why don't the children want to sign up?"
Cui Jun said: "It's not just the children who don't want to go to school, it's mostly their parents who don't want their children to go to school."
Cui Jun worries about this every day and turns his head. Naturally, he does not just sit in the yamen every day, but also goes outside to understand the situation.
It's just that if the parents don't agree, he can't forcefully kidnap the child.
And Cui Jun found that it was difficult to convince these people.
No matter how dry his mouth was, he just didn’t agree with his child to go to elementary school.
This made Cui Jun very distressed and angry, but he had nowhere to vent his anger.
Every time he persuaded these people, Cui Jun wanted to put a knife on their necks and force them to commit crimes.
Jia Xu said: "The common people seek profit, and education is free. Although it is a profit, the common people cannot see it. You need to lure it with other benefits."
Cui Jun said: "I have proposed that children who enter school can be provided with a free lunch, but there are still very few people who agree."
There are more than 300 people registered now, 200 of them were Cui Jun’s proposal to provide their children with a free meal, so their parents agreed to send their children to school.
Otherwise, I'm afraid there won't even be 200 students now.
Cui Jun never thought that he had put the opportunity to study in front of them, but they still refused.
Almost all of the 300 students he is enrolling are six or seven years old, and almost all of the eight or nine-year-old children have been rejected by their parents.
Children as young as eight or nine can help the family with some work, but one meal a day is not enough to make these parents let go.
They don't see the benefit of sending their children to elementary school, all they see is the free meal.
Children aged six or seven cannot do much work at home. If their family conditions are slightly better, they are willing to send their children to elementary school for that free meal.
Jia Xu said: "If you don't have to pay, you won't cherish it."
Jia Xu also understood that now it was Cui Jun who was begging the people, so things would naturally be difficult to do. But if it were reversed and the people were begging Cui Jun to send their children to school, there would naturally be no need to worry about a shortage of students.
Jia Xu said: "Cui Ling just stated in the notice that only 500 students will be admitted to the elementary school this time. If you miss it, you will have to wait for a year."
Cui Jun's eyes lit up, but then he calmed down and said: "With just this sentence, I'm afraid I won't be able to attract enough people."
Cui Jun naturally understands the principle that rare things are valuable.
Most people will not send their children here just for a free lunch.
The benefits are not strong enough to attract most people.
Cui Jun wants to recruit enough students. It is very simple. He only needs to offer attractive benefits. If a lunch can't attract people, he can promise to provide three meals for the children who enter school for free, and they will definitely provide enough food. If he still can't attract enough people, he can even say that if he sends his children to attend elementary school, he can receive a thousand dollars or food.
If this notice is posted, the government office will be blocked and countless parents will send their children there on the day the Chang'an order arrives.
Not only is it free, but you also get money for it, and only fools won’t like it.
But this is inconsistent with Wang Ding’s original intention.
Education is a century-old plan.
Now it is only recruiting a thousand students on a small scale, and a lunch can still be afforded. Cui Jun can even pay for it.
But in the future, when more and more students come, it will be impossible to continue recruiting students this way.
If you start this way, if you want to take it back later, the impact will be even greater.
It will only be harder to recruit students.
Jia Xu said: "Then tell them that this is the first time for elementary school to be opened, and they can enroll for free."
"In the future, you will need to pay tuition fees to enroll in elementary school, and enrollment in elementary school is a mandatory requirement, and the people of Chang'an must abide by it."
Cui Jun said: "Wouldn't this be good?"
Jia Xu said: "Whether or how much tuition will be charged in the future is not a matter of Cui Ling's word."
Cui Jun nodded and said, "Thank you sir for reminding me."
Cui Jun did not go to Yang Xiu again, but went directly back to the Yamen, and immediately asked He Xing to write a new notice for several minutes, and then posted the new notice on the streets of the city.
The new notice was posted, and Cui Jun sat firmly in the yamen.
After the notice was posted, within an hour, many people came to sign up with their children.
Those parents who originally thought that it didn't matter whether they studied or not, after learning that they would have to pay money if they wanted to attend elementary schools in the future, they thought that they could gain more advantages by studying first, so they sent their children one after another.
Moreover, the notice said that in the future, children of school age will be forced to attend elementary school.
After many days, Cui Jun finally had a smile on his face.
He asked He Xing to register the names of all the children who signed up.
On that day, more than 300 students were enrolled.
There are only four hundred people away from the gap.
The next morning, more people came to the Yamen.
In less than two hours, one thousand places were filled, but there were still many parents queuing outside.
"Everyone, go back. The student pool has been filled up this time. Those who want to enroll in the elementary school can sign up again next time." He Xing shouted loudly at the yamen gate.
"A certain child is seven years old now, why can't he go to school?"
"I have been waiting for so long. Please be accommodating and let your child go to school."
Hearing He Xing say that the number of students has been filled, someone immediately begged in front of the Yamen.
He Xing only said: "Please come back and sign up next time. We won't accept people this time. Let's all disperse. Don't shout in front of the Yamen."