China’s Ministry of Finance has allocated RMB3.89 billion (US$584.11 million) from the central budget this year to strengthen school buildings.
CRIEnglish.com reports that this one-off allocation will be granted to schools providing nine-year compulsory education and will be used only for purposes such as improving safety and fireproofing facilities, and reinforcing walls and gates.
Provincial finance departments should give priority to schools in disaster-prone and rural areas. The move aims to strengthen building safety in primary and secondary schools.
China began a three-year nationwide project in May last year to reinforce school buildings against disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, floods and typhoons. The quality of school buildings in southwest China’s Sichuan province was a major grievance among parents who lost children in the devastating 8-magnitude quake on May 12, 2008.