Scholarship Program
The scholarship system is very well developed in modern times. Su Li hardly needed to think twice and immediately began drafting the scholarship policy for Haizi Academy.
The scholarships for impoverished families are divided into four tiers, awarded to students from financially struggling households.
Tier one includes five students, the top five most outstanding scholars, each receiving a monthly living allowance of fifty wen, with all tuition, miscellaneous fees, and accommodation fees waived.
Tier two includes ten students, those ranking from sixth to fifteenth, each receiving a monthly living allowance of thirty wen, with all tuition, miscellaneous fees, and accommodation fees waived.
Tier three includes twenty students, those ranking sixteenth to thirty-fifth, each receiving a monthly living allowance of twenty wen, with all tuition, miscellaneous fees, and accommodation fees waived.
Tier four includes thirty students, those ranking thirty-sixth to sixty-fifth, each receiving a monthly living allowance of ten wen, with all tuition, miscellaneous fees, and accommodation fees waived.
The students' academic rankings are scored by all the teachers individually, then comprehensively evaluated. Rankings are posted publicly at the end of each month on the academy bulletin board.
However, the scholarships require students to come from impoverished families and live in the communal dormitory. If any student conceals their family situation and falsely claims to be from a poor household, once discovered, they will be expelled from the academy, and the local gentry and prominent figures will be informed to warn others of the student's poor character.
The village chief read the scholarship system Su Li wrote and admired it, giving a thumbs up: "A Li, your scholarship plan is really great! This way, students will be encouraged to study hard. As long as their grades are good, they can be exempt from tuition and accommodation fees and even receive money to help support their families. These youngsters, even if they work at home, can't earn ten wen a month, but if they come to study and rank well, they can get at least ten wen in subsidies!"
Su Li smiled and said, "That was exactly my intention—not only to support impoverished students but also to encourage them to strive for excellence. The monthly rankings keep them constantly motivated, pushing them to improve."
For Su Li, the monthly scholarship amount was trivial, not even enough for one meal, but it could help at least sixty-five impoverished students complete their studies.
"Wow, this system is fantastic! I'll go tell everyone in our village right now. This will definitely attract more children to study!" The village chief was extremely happy. "Our academy was built to accommodate five hundred students. Maybe now we can fill it! Once there are more students, attracting some from wealthier families who pay tuition and fees will bring income to the academy, so maybe you won’t have to subsidize it every month anymore! This scholarship idea is brilliant!"
While muttering excitedly, the village chief took Su Li’s scholarship policy and hurried from house to house to spread the news.
Most villagers were illiterate and relied on the village chief’s reading. When they learned that sending their children to the academy meant no fees, free meals and lodging, and even a monthly scholarship if their grades were good, they were overjoyed.
“Wow, this scholarship is amazing! I’ll go home and discuss with my husband, the shopkeeper, about sending our son to study!” An aunt dressed plainly was so excited she didn’t know what to say and hurried home to find her husband.
“I’ll go too, to tell my mother-in-law the good news! She’s been reluctant to let my son study because it costs money, but now there’s hope to convince her!”
“The top-tier scholarship is fifty wen a month, that’s a lot of money! My son is smart; once he’s at the academy, I’ll definitely supervise him every day to study hard and strive to win the top-tier scholarship!”