Newly-recruited students from poor or low-income families can apply for a cell phone from Zhejiang University. This new scheme has drawn big public attention, as the Guangming Daily reported on Monday.

As one of China's most prestigious universities, Zhejiang University in east China's Zhejiang Province has set a "Green Channel" service for poor freshmen to both help solve their financial difficulties and offer them an equally easier access the school's education information network. The eligible can receive 200 yuan, some commodities, as well as a mobile phone with a two-year prepaid basic communication fee.

However, some media have revealed that the free handsets are being provided by local China Unicom company for commercial purposes.

But, Fei Yingqin, an official with Zhejiang University denied the assertion, adding the free handsets are nothing but gift items in return for the university's prepaid communications fees to Unicom. Moreover, such free cell phones can help make poor students equally accessible to the school's daily information on lectures, tests, temporary jobs and other useful information via short message services.

Fei adds that using cell phone is the quickest and most effective way to contact students.
More and more students can afford a mobile phone, meaning it is no longer what we believe a luxury item. Actually, most poor student didn't apply for the handset because they already had one!

The school official says that universities should keep up with the rapid change of times and improve their ideas on how to better help poor students. A free handset, anyhow, is now a more practical means of communications between the school and a student.

Many people agreed with Fei's opinion as they are happy to see new ideas and new practices taking place on university campuses. Zhejiang University is willing to better satisfy poor students' practical needs, the report concluded.

(CRIENGLISH.com September 4, 2007)