Government and Policy

China spends $1.5b on nutrition for rural students

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-02-27 21:11

BEIJING - China spent more than 10 billion yuan ($1.52 billion) last year to improve the nutrition of 12.25 million poverty-stricken students in rural areas, a report from a government think-tank said Sunday.

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The funding targeted poor primary and middle school students in rural areas who reside on campus, and both central and local governments have been increasing the amount of funding in recent years, said the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) in a report.

Starting in November last year, China's Ministry of Finance had hiked the daily subsidy to 3 yuan for primary school students and 4 yuan for middle school students. From 2007 to 2009, the central government had allocated 9.55 billion yuan in living subsidies for poor students in boarding schools in central and western China, it said.

Chinese local governments had also established cafeterias at schools that provide basic meals. In some places, free eggs, milk and lunches had also been offered to students to improve their health conditions, the CDRF said.