Discrete subsidies to help poorer university students eat

The Hunan University of Science and Technology, located in Xiangtan, Hunan province, announced that it intends to disburse 1 million yuan ($145,190) to students struggling financially via meal cards while protecting their anonymity.

The move has been widely praised for helping students in need while preserving their dignity and protecting their privacy, and has become a trending topic on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform.

"We aggregate the spending data of all our full-time students at the student canteen — undergraduates, postgraduates and international students. Those eating more frequently but spending less on each meal will receive a subsidy," said Liang Hongjun, deputy head of the university's service department.

The money will be doled out in four payments over the course of the year.

Taking May 1, Nov 1, and the summer and winter vacations as markers, the academic year is divided into four periods. Canteen data from each period will be used as the principal basis to determine the distribution of subsidies in the following period.

Liang said the first round of subsidies had been distributed by the end of March. The list of students receiving assistance is based on data collected between Sept 15 and Dec 13 last year.

The university's financial aid office will check whether potential candidates are from poor households, in which case they will receive a 200 yuan subsidy.

Candidates not listed as coming from poor households but who still spend less on each meal (a maximum of 6 yuan for male students and 5 yuan for female students), will also receive the 200 yuan subsidy.

The remaining candidates will each receive 100 yuan.

"Some 2,000 students will benefit. After the list is confirmed, the money will be directly deposited on their meal cards," Liang said.

Huang Yi, a student at the university, said that the school's decision was considerate and heartwarming.

"I know there are students who spend just 10 yuan a day on three meals. Some even have a single steamed bun, which costs 1 yuan, as a meal," Huang said, adding that most students spend an average of 20 to 50 yuan a day on meals.

Sources from the university said that it is collecting suggestions from teachers, students, alumni and the public to optimize the distribution of the subsidies in an effort to help students in genuine need.