A special State grant of 800 million yuan (US$99 million) will be available every year for poor students at secondary vocational schools nationwide starting next month.

The grant, allocated by the central government, is to help cover tuition for 800,000 poor students at public and private schools. Each student will receive a yearly subsidy of 1,000 yuan (US$125), the Ministry of Education announced at a press conference yesterday.

Students who apply for the grant must come from very poor families, and certification of their family background issued by local authorities is required, the ministry said.

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