Tibet to raise education subsidy standard

LHASA - The education subsidy standard in China's southwest Tibet Autonomous Region will rise again this year, the region's financial authorities announced on Saturday.

Lu Mingxiu, an official with the Bureau of Finance of Tibet, said the regional government will increase the annual budget for the educational subsidy scheme by 70.5 million yuan (about $11.65 million) from September.

In the coming fall semester, children in kindergartens through to senior high schools will receive 2,900 yuan each to cover annual expenses for food, accommodation and educational supplies while they are in boarding school, according to Lu.

China provides free education for school-aged children in Tibet and has been providing subsidies to youngsters of herding families since 1985.

The subsidy rate has increased on more than ten occasions. In 2012, the standard was raised to 2,500 yuan and its coverage was expanded to include children of highway maintenance workers. In 2013, the standard increased to 2,700 yuan.

By the end of 2013, Tibet invested 1.38 billion yuan in the education subsidy, benefitting more than 520,000 school-aged children, or 95 percent of the region's enrolled students, mostly from herding families.