All primary and secondary school students in mudslide-hit Zhouqu County in northwest China's Gansu Province are expected to begin their new school semester on schedule on Sep. 1, according to an official with China's Ministry of Education.

Every student would also receive a gift as they begin their new semester, which would include stationery, toiletries and a lunch box, said Xu Mei, spokeswoman of the ministry, on Friday.

The primary and junior middle school students began the new semester on Wednesday, while more than 3,000 high school students had to wait to be transferred to Dingxi City and Gansu's capital city Lanzhou to start their new school year on Sep. 1, Xu said.

The students will be divided into three groups in the transfer, to be carried out on Aug. 28, 29 and 30, she said.

All text books and school supplies arrived in Zhouqu on Aug. 15, and a total of 115 teachers would also be added to the existing teaching staff to replace victims from the mudslide.

Further, people from all segments of society were providing strong support for the start of the new semester, Xu said.

The devastating mudslide hit on Aug. 8 and has claimed 1,456 lives with 309 people still missing as of Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2010)