By Mia De Graaf PUBLISHED: 11:24 EST, 22 November 2013 | UPDATED: 12:15 EST, 22 November 2013 A group of Chinese children are forced to study in a rotting shack at the top of a mountain cliff because surrounding towns claim they are all lepers. Leprosy died out in Xinzhai, southwest China, decades ago but its neighbours in Yunnan province refuse to believe it. Despite numerous campaigns to encourage schools to take the pupils, the village is still colloquially dubbed Mafengcun, meaning 'leprosy'. Outlawed: Pupils at the Xinzhai school in China are forced to learn in an isolated building on a cliff path
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Leprosy died out in Mafengcun decades ago but the myth lives on
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The 13 pupils aged five-15 have to climb a mountain to get to school
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They have just four tables, few resources, and the roof has holes in it
'My 13 students in @placeholder finally have the right to equal education,' said Yuan.