Invaluable expenditure

An expanded special central government fund to hire more college graduates as short-term teachers will not only help ease employment pressure for the moment, but serve as a key source of long-term productivity that will underpin the country's sustainable development.

If China's massive stimulus package is to work its magic in combating the effects of the current economic downturn while laying a solid foundation for future growth, policymakers need to come up with more investment plans as valuable as the "special teacher" program.

According to the Ministry of Education, rural schools in central and western areas will hire 50,000 college graduates this year, almost tripling the number of teachers hired last year, thanks to aid from the special central government fund.