Middle school graduates in poverty-stricken rural areas stand to benefit from a newly launched employment program.

The first batch of over 2,000 middle school graduates from rural areas are expected to receive training financed by the program, called the Huaxue Lianmeng Training and Employment Program for Poverty Alleviation.

The five provinces - Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Southwest China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, as well as East China's Anhui and Jiangxi provinces - will all be benefited by the program.

Training for the middle school students in various employment skills will last three months in Beijing, sources said.

The program has initial funding of 1 million yuan (US$120,000), which was donated by the Beijing Huaxue Lianmeng Training Center.

According to sources with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, a total of 3,000 graduates from rural areas in poverty will be trained per year. Two to three years later, over 10,000 will be involved per year.

"Employment of middle school graduates in China's rural areas has become an issue that needs attention from society," said Zhang Mingwei, executive vice-director of the Huaxue Lianmeng Training and Employment Program for Poverty Alleviation.

"Most of the rural middle school graduates have become traditional farmers after failing to be admitted to universities," he said.

Statistics show a total of 5 million middle school graduates in rural China return to their home towns every year.

"If they all become traditional farmers like their fathers and grandfathers, the purpose of education has been degraded," he said.

Zhang also pointed out the excess supply of labourers in the country's rural areas will become worse, possibly resulting in more poverty.

Officials with the State Council's Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Reduction both gave positive assessments of the program.

(China Daily October 18, 2004)