The 1990 figure of 2.4386 million illiterate people among the province's young and middle-aged population has dropped to about 200,000 now, according to provincial government statistics. The literacy level of 96 percent is higher than the national goal of 95 percent.

In 1990, the provincial government established a special coordination group to tackle the problem and raise funds for a literacy program.

Since then, the province's annual budget for helping people learn to read and write has been held at more than 70 million yuan (US$8.4 million).

As in the rest of China, the majority of illiterate people in Hebei live in rural and poverty stricken areas. And most of them are women.

Standards in China's nine-year compulsory education system are regularly assessed by local governments at all levels.

The province also has taken measures to carry out national charity programs such as Project Hope and the Spring Bud Plan to help student dropouts return to school and rural girls continue their education.

Meanwhile, technical training sessions have been set up to improve the education level of young and middle-aged people. Some 870,000 rural laborers have received such training in the last decade.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2002)