Middle school graduates

in poverty-stricken rural areas stand to benefit from a newly launched

employment programme.

The first batch of over 2,000 middle school graduates from rural areas are expected to receive

training financed by the programme, called the Huaxue Lianmeng Training and

Employment Programme for Poverty Alleviation, reported China Daily Monday.

The five provinces - Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Southwest China's

Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, as well as East China's Anhui and Jiangxi

provinces - will all be benefited by the programme.

Training for the middle school students in various employment skills will

last three months in Beijing, sources said.

The programme has initial funding of 1 million yuan (US$120,000), which was

donated by the Beijing Huaxue Lianmeng Training Centre.

According to sources with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, a

total of 3,000 graduates from rural areas in poverty will be trained per year.

Two to three years later, over 10,000 will be involved per year.

"Employment of middle school graduates in China's rural areas has become an

issue that needs attention from society," said Zhang Mingwei, executive

vice-director of the Huaxue Lianmeng Training and Employment Programme for

Poverty Alleviation.

"Most of the rural middle school graduates have become traditional farmers

after failing to be admitted to universities," he said.

Statistics show a total of 5 million middle school graduates in rural China

return to their home towns every year.

"If they all become traditional farmers like their fathers and

grandfathers, the purpose of education has been degraded," he said.

Zhang also pointed out the excess supply of labourers in the country's

rural areas will become worse, possibly resulting in more poverty.

Officials with the State Council's Leading Group Office of Poverty

Alleviation and Reduction both gave positive assessments of the programme.

Source: China Daily