Ministry cites rural progress

Investments to improve healthcare and teachers' incomes in rural areas have paid off with measurable improvement in students' development in underprivileged areas, but more measures are needed to achieve equality in education, according to the Ministry of Education.

To close the urban-rural gap in healthcare and education resources, the ministry pledged on Friday to continue to carry out the National Development Plan for Children in Poverty-Stricken Areas (2014-20), investing more money and offering policy support to improve healthcare and nutrition along with the quality of education in the country's central and western regions.

"The central government attaches great importance to the development of children in poverty-stricken areas, and the key is to allocate more resources in those regions to guarantee equal education and health services," Lu Xin, deputy education minister, said at a State Council briefing about the plan on Friday.