| China to provide more education opportunities for rural youth and farmers
2003-07-31
Xinhua
China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) announced Wednesday
that it is to invest 50 million yuan (6.024 million US dollars) in the
next three years to help train farmers in modern methods.
The plan aims to help Chinese farmers, who make up 60 percent of the
country's total population, find better jobs in the agricultural
sector.
China hopes to fundamentally restructure the rural economy, which faces
tough overseas challenges following the country's entry into the World
Trade Organization (WTO).
Modernization in farming and urbanization are forcing more farmers to
find other jobs.
A national census showed that 90 percent of over 800
million Chinese farmers had never received high school education. Only
five percent of the rural labor population had received any systematic
technological training.
Li Xueyong, vice minister of MOST, said it was imperative to provide farmers
with more opportunities to learn modern technology.
The Spark Program was initiated by MOST in 1985, and the ministry plans to
improve the capability of young rural people, upgrade grass-roots management for
advancing technological skills, build a nationwide network for distance
education and encourage rural enterprises to join international competition.
The ministry has already established more than 5,000 education bases
throughout the country, training over 70 million rural
people.
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