Many of the principals in the schools in China's poorest and mountainous regions have never taken a flight; never even traveled out of their provinces in some cases. So it was truly impressive to see the passion and eagerness that some of China's least privileged teachers from underdeveloped regions in eight provinces, such as Qinghai, Sichuan and Guizhou, displayed in a day of mock UN negotiations on climate change efforts in Beijing last week.

Every summer over the last six years, a group of fellowship winners from China's poorest mountainous regions have attended one-week eye-opening training courses in Beijing, with the support of devoted volunteers, as well as financial and logistical help from businesses and academic institutions.

Their curriculum includes team-building exercises, learning about the education systems in Europe and the United States, visiting the World Bank offices in Beijing, and also how to provide care to left-behind children, because on average, more than half of the parents of the kids in rural regions earn their daily bread by working outside their villages.