As learned from the Ministry of Education, with governments at all levels constantly raising input in educational expenditures, China has seen an enlarged number of primary, junior and senior school students being helped with free education in poverty-stricken areas.
CCTV reports that though a single charge system is followed in primary, junior and senior schools an increased number of compulsory education receivers are being helped with tuition free, free textbooks and other subsidies and benefits in poor rural areas in China.
So far, the nation's grant-aided primary, junior and senior school students number over 4.6 million, making an average 5-7 percent of the local whole.
This year 200 thousand students of different nationalities receive free primary, junior and senior school education for the first time in Xinjiang. The subsidies and grants have also been provided for those of Tibetan and seven other ethnic minorities with a population under 100 thousand and 130 thousand primary students in the border areas of Yunnan.
As learned, the central financial authorities have appropriated 130 million yuan (US$15.7 million) to help poor students with a compulsory education stipend system.
It is estimated that by 2005 all primary, junior and senior school students with economic difficulty in poor rural areas will receive charge-free textbooks provided by the state.
(People?s Daily October 15, 2002)
