BEIJING -- China's State Council on Wednesday decided to promote "Internet plus education" to achieve better educational equity and facilitate access to educational resources for students in remote and impoverished areas.

The country will encourage online education development so as to offer new platforms for vocational training and skills improvement, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting.

The statement called for efforts to offer network access that is exclusive to educational institutions, stressing all schools across the country should enjoy high-speed and stable Internet service.

The government will support developing various online education resources for schools and students in extremely impoverished areas, according to the statement.

As of the end of the second quarter of 2019, 97.9 percent of China's primary and middle schools had access to the Internet, according to the Ministry of Education.