wow

新京报/The Beijing News carries a Xinhua report saying that Anshan city in Liaoning is going to start making high school education free, starting from this autumn.

鞍山推广免费高中教育 

Anshan to popularize free high school education

首批7学校，新生全部免除学杂费及50%的课本费

 In the first batch of 7 schools all new students will be exempt from miscellaneous fees and 50% of textbook fees

辽宁省鞍山市政府近日宣布，鞍山将从今年秋季学期开始，推出高中阶段的免费教育，首批设立的7所免费高中计划招生3800余人。

Recently the government of Anshan City, Liaoning Province announced that starting from this autumn Anshan will introduce free education at the high school level. The first batch of free high schools plan to enroll over 3800 students.

鞍山市 市长谷春立介绍，设立免费高中，让更多孩子接受高中以上教育，切实减轻学生经济负担，不仅是提高鞍山高水平教育普及率的需要，目的也在于促进教育资源的均 衡化。目前，鞍山已在全市7个县（市、区）各设1所免费的普通高中，招收的新生不仅全部免除学杂费，而且还免除50%的课本费。鞍山市计划在秋季学期招收 3822名免费高中生，每学年免费金额将在200万元左右。

The mayor of Anshan, Gu Chunli, said the establishment of free high schools will allow more children to receive high school or higher education, will practically ease students’ economic burden, and will not only raise the rate of higher education in Anshan, but the goal is also in the promotion of balancing of educational resources. At present, Anshan has already established 1 free ordinary high school in each of 7 counties (cities or districts) throughout the city and is also cutting textbook fees by 50%. Anshan City plans to enroll 3822 students in the free high schools in the autumn semester at a cost of roughly 2 million yuan.

鞍山市教育局基础教育处相关负责人介绍，鞍山将按照省示范性高中的水平，对免费高中加大投入，实施教学环境和教学质量的全面提升。

The relevant person responsible in the basic education office of the Anshan Municipal Bureau of Education said Anshan will comprehensively enhance the educational environment and educational quality in the free high schoolsin accordance with the standard for provincial demonstration high schools.

目前，鞍山市7所免费高中的招生工作已经开始，广大学生报名踊跃。鞍山市教育局负责人表示，鞍山将在试点的基础上，力争用不长的时间实现全市所有公办高中全部实施免费教育。

Currently Anshan City’s 7 free high schools have already begun enrollment work, and numerous students have enthusiastically registered. The person responsible at the Anshan Municipal Bureau of Education said Anshan will, on the basis of the test sites, strive to implement free education at all public high schools in a short time.

Oh bloody hell, I screwed so much of that up, especially the second and third paragraphs. Help and corrections will be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, clearly no high school education in Anshan is going to be entirely free, as the students- or more likely their parents will still have to pay half of the textbook fees, but even so this is a positive move, and it’s good to see one of the rust-belt cities actively working to improve the quality of its future labour force.

It’s a pity so few people understand that education is never a private good but always a public investment in the future of the whole society. It’s good to see a city where the officials do understand this.