Travel aid for 224,000 poor students

The Ministry of Education will offer travel expenses to help poor freshmen from central and west China get to school, Beijing Times reported Thursday.

A Ministry spokesperson, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said students who will enter a college within their province will get 500 yuan ($73) for travel, and those travelling through more than one province will get 1000 yuan.

The report said the Ministry has allocated 140 million yuan to help 224,000 students from 22 provinces, regions and municipalities in China's central and west, covering 4.2 percent of students in those regions. The money has been distributed to county-level governments and students will get the money before the start of school.

Because many parts of China suffered flooding this summer, China Development Bank said it will provide loans to the needy students in those areas before they provide papers of proof, the paper said.

According to the report, the bank will grant 12 billion yuan loan for new college students to start school, covering 1,761 counties in China.