China has plans to improve schools in rural areas over in about five years, the education ministry has announced.
The programme will mainly cover schools in west and central China, with the addition of a few poor areas in the east, reported Xinhua citing a ministry statement.
The government will invest in school facilities including classrooms, dormitories, playgrounds, canteens, toilets and drinking water supply, as well as providing them with adequate teaching equipment, the statement said.
All current village schools will be made operational and the class size of township and county schools will be reduced to a maximum 45 students in primary and 50 students in middle school classes.
The ministry wants to keep the dropout rate in primary schools under 0.6 percent and at middle schools under 1.8 percent.
