Shanghai will continue the measures to help needy students to complete their high education, not having any students meeting this year's university entrance requirements to quit their study because of financial problems, today's Laodong Daily reported.
The help includes scholarships, subsidies, fee reduction or exemption, part-time jobs and educational loans, according to Ling Yuan, vice director of the student department of Shanghai Education Commission (SEC).
The official said local universities and colleges will continue the so-called "green passage" for this year's needy freshmen, receiving their entrance registration before they pay the tuition fees.
After enrollment, the schools will provide aids such as subsidies or education loans to the students according to their financial conditions.
To make the city's financial aid policies clear to local students and their families and prevent students from abandoning the education opportunity for financial concerns, the education authority has printed the favorable policies on the university entrance notices delivered to every student enrolled, Ling said.
Ling seems confident about the measures.
He said the education loan program, for example, has been proved effective for helping students from local poor families.
More than 60,000 students have applied for the loan with a combined value of about 400 million yuan (US$48 million) since 2000 when the program was launched.
To attract more excellent students, scholarships are provided at some universities.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University offers scholarships ranging from 5,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan for outstanding students, the Laodong Daily report said.