China's Ministry of Education has ordered local education departments to inspect sanitary conditions regularly and invest in refurnishing school facilities to ensure the cleanliness of food and drinking water.

Deputy Minister of Education, Chen Xiaoya, said that food security management and accountability should be improved and timely reporting of public health emergencies including cases of infectious diseases should be strictly implemented.

The orders came in response to several food poisoning incidents among students since the beginning of the new semester in September.

Ninety percent of the public health emergency incidents since September occurred in the country's middle and primary schools, 60percent of which were in the countryside, according to Chen.

The Ministry issued a circular last month, stating that schoolmasters will be held primarily responsible for food poisoning.

Chen also ordered increased investment by local educational departments in building or refurnishing latrines, canteens and drinking water facilities in rural schools.

The latest in a string of food poisoning outbreaks in the country's schools sickened more than 200 students and teachers from the school attached to Zhongshan University in the southern city of Guangzhou on Wednesday.

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2006)