A spokesman for the Ministry of Education says China will increase its financial aid to the families of poor students.

The spokesman says all poor students will receive free textbooks, free education and living subsidiaries by the year of 2007.

China has decided to increase education funding by nearly 500 million yuan or about US$62 million to bring the total value of the fund to over US$100 million.The fund will be used to provide free textbooks to poor students.

More than one fifth of students in central and west China's rural areas will receive the aid in this autumn semester.

(CRI.com August 25, 2004)