Children from a primary school in Jinchengjiang district walk out of the school with fruits on April 28. [Photo by Yang Bo/hcwang.cn]

Jinchengjiang district in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has been implementing a new school meal program in recent years to improve health among students, especially those in rural areas.

Jinchengjiang district has been serving as a test site for the rural students' nutrition improvement plan. It has provided schools with subsidies totaling 11.53 million yuan ($1.82 million) in 2017, helping over 18,000 students.

During spring semester of this year, a total of 18,311 students from 39 primary and middle schools in rural areas have benefited from the preferential policy, according to Luo Zongdian, an official from the local poverty alleviation office.

The district has allocated 7.32 million yuan ($1.15 million) to the school meal program, with each student entitled to a three-yuan meal subsidy per day, Luo said.

Luo stressed that the money should be used exclusively to provide rural students with nutritious meals and urged local authorities to properly manage the funds.

Malnutrition among students still exists in poor areas, negatively impacting their healthy development and educational potential.