When school bells rang in the Lawugan village primary school, students turn on a large screen and greet their teacher 20 km away in an urban school.

Champa Tenzin, a 9-year-old student from the School, takes courses including Tibetan language, mathematics and painting through an online lesson-sharing platform, which was launched in 2013 and aims to narrow the gap in the quality of education between rural and urban schools.

In the past, teachers gave lectures inside a cave on the mountain just behind the school. Today, they teach in a two-story building equipped with advanced teaching-and-learning equipment and solar energy.

In 1962, Ngog Nang set up a school inside the cave. The "grotto school," as it was known by the villagers, is only big enough for 20 people to crowd in.

Lawugan Village has an altitude of around 4,000 meters and is located in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province.

Yushu has a population of over 111,000, and nearly 95 percent of them are ethnic Tibetans.

On April 14, 2010, a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Yushu, toppling thousands of houses and leaving around 3,000 people dead or missing and more than 10,000 injured.

"The school was in ruins. Thanks to the support from the government and society, students soon resumed classes in board rooms and tents," said the school principal Tashi Dorlma.

Yushu has been rebuilt over the past few years, from a remote, backward town to a modern city, and so has Lawugan Primary School.

From the "grotto school" to a "dream school," the conditions of Lawugan Primary School have greatly changed during the years. What remains unchanged is the devotion of the teachers to impart knowledge, educate and fuel the curiosity of the children.

At present, the school has seven teachers and 115 students. "Over the years, our incomes have increased remarkably. We now have an average monthly salary of 6,000 yuan, almost doubling that of 10 years ago," said 31-year-old Tsring Lhamo, who teaches math and Tibetan language at the school.

"Nowadays, farmers and herdsmen of the Tibetan autonomous prefecture live better lives. As a result, parents attach great importance on their children's education," said Tsring Lhamo.

"Most of the parents are satisfied with the quality of education in the school. Some of our students come from 30 km away," he added.

Tsring Lhamo noted that to support their children in gaining a better education, some parents even rented houses or pitched tents near the school.

In a tent set up beside the school, 60-year-old Sonam Dorlma is busy cooking supper for her grandson. Her son and daugther-in-law are herding their cattle in the nearby mountain.

"I hope to take good care of my grandchildren and see the day when they are admitted to universities," she said.