Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday announced a hefty educational investment plan of the year, making education a "strategic priority".

 

A total of 85.85 billion yuan (US$11 billion) will be allocated from the central budget this year, an increase of 41.7 percent over the previous year, government statistics show.

 

Part of the central educational fund will be used to grant more poor students the access to education, said Wen while delivering a government work report to the just-opened annual parliamentary session in Beijing.

 

"This is another major move we are taking to promote fairness in education following the exemption of all tuition and miscellaneous fees for rural students receiving compulsory education," said the premier.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2007)