Counseling as vital as monetary help for poor students

TWO AMONG the about 500 first-year undergraduates from poor families that Peking University admitted this year received an annual allowance of 20,000 yuan ($3,140) on the day of their registration. The university has also started providing mental support to poor students this year. Comments:

The absence of financial support has deprived students from poor families of many things including the chance to enrich their knowledge with the help of non-syllabus books and from traveling. After entering prestigious institutions such as Peking University, they might appear puzzled and helpless, even self-abased. Which means they need proper counseling from the university. Therefore, what Peking University has done should be emulated by other universities in order to cater to students' material and spiritual needs.

China Youth Daily, Sept 7