Beijing reintroduced grant aid for poor high school
students in September after a policy revision made by the Beijing Municipal
Education Commission and Beijing Finance
Bureau and published on the education commission's website on
October 10.
Poor students from families at or around the
minimum living standard, orphans and children of people recognized
as heroes for giving their lives to save others and similar reasons
are all entitled to the grant. Based on this principle, different
districts and counties can set up their own requirements in line
with their own economic development and living standards.
The grant, funded by the municipal and district or
county financial budget, is set at two levels: 100 yuan (US$12.37)
and 60 yuan (US$7.42) per month per person.
Students from families at the minimum living
standard can enjoy the 100 yuan grant and their tuition fees are
remitted. Boarding students can also be exempted from boarding
fees.
Students from families with economic conditions
slightly higher than the minimum can receive the 60 yuan grant.
Districts and counties can also offer them a partial or total
tuition and boarding fee waiver.
The grant is sent to students for 10 months
every year and is also offered to children of heroes and orphans
without income during summer and winter vacations.
Students who apply for the 100 yuan grant need to
submit the minimum living standard certification issued by civil
affairs departments. Those who apply for the 60 yuan grant must
hand in applications with verifications from street and town
offices where their families live. Schools will send the grant to
students after examination and approval of their applications.
Beijing introduced pilot regulations on grant aid
in compulsory education in 1997, but it only covered junior high
school and elementary school students.
In recent years, high school education has expanded
rapidly and the proportion of poor students has risen
accordingly.
Now Beijing has 162,426 people on the minimum
living guarantee. Before the new policy, districts and counties
provided temporary grants to poor students, but there was no
uniform practice.
(China.org.cn by Yuan Fang, October 14, 2005)