Ning Xiaoxia, a 13-year old girl living in Daping Village in
Ankang, Shaanxi Province, is happy because she can go back to
school again on September 1 when the new term begins.
She was one of thousands of pupils who dropped out of school
because their families could not afford the boarding fees.
But these children will now benefit from Shaanxi provincial
government's 200 million yuan (US$25 million) project to help
students in remote rural areas. They will each receive 1.5 yuan (19
US cents) every day for school boarding fees.
"With the local government's financial support, I can continue
my studies," Ning said.
The project will be launched in September for students from
families with financial difficulties.
Rural pupils, especially those living in mountainous areas, have
to live at school, returning home only at weekends because their
homes are too far away from schools, said Xuan Weijian, an official
with Zhenping County education bureau.
Daping village is under the administration of Zhenping
County.
However, many students' families cannot afford their children's
school living expenses, although they only need to pay for their
meals, Xuan said.
Now the 1.5-yuan daily aid can help them pay for three meals a
day, he added.
According to Mu Zhen, an official with the provincial education
department, there are about 40,000 pupils who have dropped out of
school in Shaanxi.
"Most of them could not continue their studies because they live
too far away from school and are unable to pay the boarding fees,"
Mu said.
"Although the dropout rate in the province fell to 0.34 percent
this year from 0.53 percent in 2004, we will make more of an effort
to help every child finish their nine-year compulsory education,"
Mu said.
The nine years include six years in elementary school and three
years in junior middle school.
(China Daily August 24, 2006)