Chinese gov´t to increase budget for assistance to poor students

The Chinese government is to increase its budget for assistance to poor students. The Ministry of Education says that a new plan has been worked out to aid more poor students to finish their study.
The Ministry of Education says it has increased the number of beneficiaries of the state charity for disadvantaged students, from 533,000 or three percent of the total, to some 3.5 million, or 20 percent.
Rising tuition and living costs have become a heavy burden for some Chinese families, especially from impoverished rural areas. Students from less fortunate families account for 20 percent of the total on average though it varies in different regions and colleges.
The government will provide 20 billion yuan, or more than 2.5 billion US dollars, to assist these students next year.
For those students already enrolled by universities and colleges, the ministry promises that no students will loose the study opportunity due to poverty.
Wang Xuming, spokesman Ministry of Education, said, "The Ministry of Education sincerely promises to the whole society that we will not let even one student from a poor family be unable to go to school because of poverty."
A direct "green channel" will be provided for qualified students to seek loans to finish their studies.
Including student loans and donations from local governments and universities,the student assistance fund totals 50 billion yuan, or 6.5 billion US dollars annually from 2008. It covers about four million university students and 16 million in vocational schools.
The ministry has also promised to cut the tuition for underprivileged students and provide more work-study programs.