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You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
A total of 410 million Chinese students received financial support from the government between 2010 and 2014.
The Ministry of Education announced that China spent more than 550 billion yuan, roughly 87 billion US dollars, between 2010 and 2014 to help students from all levels, from preschool up to university.
An assessment report on China's educational reform and development said that in 2014, funds made available for subsidies amounted to 140 billion yuan, more than double the amount of 2009.
The subsidies have generally been well managed, with only a few problems in some cities and counties. Nearly 10 percent of eligible regions have yet to establish an institution to administer the grants, and some failed to pay subsidies in a timely manner, according to Ding Xiaohao, vice head of the Institute of Economics of Education with Peking University.
Zhao Jianjun, an MOE official, said that the ministry, in the next five years, will gradually improve the subsidizing standard to ensure basic schooling needs for students with family financial difficulties.
The assessment was based on government documents and research reports on funding students from departments in the country's 31 provincial-level regions from 2010 to 2014.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
Xi'an Medical University in Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, has suspended practice surgery on animals after it was determined that some dogs were abused and their carcasses mishandled during research.
The incident reignited public concerns about the welfare of animals used in laboratories in China, where at least 12 million animals, mostly mice, are used for scientific purposes each year.
The Ministry of Science and Technology said rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs and monkeys are all used in research.
The university's official micro blog reported that an investigation found abuse of the dogs and inappropriate disposal of carcasses.
It said the university had required personnel to deal with the case and asked the clinical medical school of the university to suspend the practice on animals and improve animal welfare.
Previously, an anonymous micro blog posted photos that showed more than 10 bleeding dogs on the roof of a university building and questioned whether the dogs had been abused.
After the post went viral, some dog-loving volunteers went to the school, located in a northern suburb of Xi'an, to protest and rescue the dogs. They were stopped outside the university and were told the dogs had been removed and would receive better treatment.
The provincial education department said animals are necessary for teaching and research, but procedures and disposal methods should be standardized and strictly followed.
