More than 2 million square metres of schoolhouses in rural areas were torn down last year in East China's Shandong Province, clearing the way for new, more modern schools.

The demolition is part of the province's 933 million yuan (US$112.8 million) effort to reconstruct schools.

The province also renovated 1.1 million square metres of unsafe schools and rebuilt 1.8 million square metres of school space. That is 42 percent of the total rebuilding plan.

Shandong intends to finish this project by the end of 2002.

The province has detailed renovation implement plans for its county level education departments for the coming year.

In all, around 5,000 schoolhouses must be torn down, covering an entire area of 3.8 million square metres. That is 5.9 percent of all primary and middle school buildings in the province.

The province still needs to renovate 4.4 million square metres this year, requiring millions of yuan in investment.

The figure will include building 2.4 million square metres of new schoolhouse space, according to provincial officials.

(China Daily January 3, 2002)