By Du Wenjuan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-09-12 16:22

China will continue its efforts to provide quality, affordable education for everyone in the country, and especially for those in poverty-stricken areas, minister of Education Zhou Ji said at a news conference on Wednesday in Beijing.

Students smile as they get free textbooks at a primary school in Rizhao, East China's Shandong Province on August 31, 2007. [newsphoto]

To enhance education equity all over the nation, the government is improving its subsidy system as of the fall semester this year, which is touted as a "50-billion-yuan project covering a total of 20 million students every year," the minister said.

More than 16 million secondary and vocational school students will benefit from more scholarships and grants, while about 150 million students under nine-year compulsory education in rural areas are exempted from tuition and miscellaneous fees.

The large amount of money is funded by the central and local governments as well as the schools. "The governments of all levels will be the major sponsor, though support from the public is welcomed," said Zhou.

With an 18.2-percent increase in food prices among August's CPI figures released yesterday, Zhou also made note of food problems for poor students. He said the government and schools will offer subsidies for school canteens and get students more involved in pricing the food, while making good efforts to stabilize the prices and quality of the food.

According to Beijing Municipal Education Commission, a temporary subsidiary fund of over 25 million yuan will be given to canteens of all post-secondary institutions and secondary vocational schools in Beijing.

Statistics from the Ministry of Finance said that China's fiscal budget on education in 2007 reached 646.1 billion yuan (US$85 billion), 105.3 billion yuan (US$13.9 billion) more than that of the previous year, up 19.5 percent year-on-year, higher than the 15.7 percent growth rate of national fiscal budget.

In the first half of 2007, China's input into education within the budget has increased over 30 percent in comparison with the same period of last year, according to the ministry.

The government also offered more funding for the teaching staff of compulsory education, increasing the basic salary standards for primary and middle school teachers all over the country by 10 percent, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Education.

A total of 11,000 Chinese students enrolled this year at six teachers universities based in Beijing, Shanghai, Changchun, Wuhan, Xi'an and Chongqing started their undergraduate studies early this month, free of charge.