Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday announced a hefty educational investment plan of the year, making education a "strategic priority."

A total of 85.85 billion yuan (11 billion U.S. dollars) will be allocated from the central budget this year, an increase of 41.7 percent over the previous year, government statistics show.

Part of the central educational fund will be used to grant more poor students the access to education, said Wen while delivering a government work report to the just-opened annual parliamentary session.

"This is another major move we are taking to promote fairness in education following the exemption of all tuition and miscellaneous fees for rural students receiving compulsory education," said the premier, addressing the deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature.

A system of national scholarships and tuition assistance will go into operation this semester, which starts in early March, for regular undergraduate institutions, vocational colleges and secondary vocational schools, said the premier.

Funds appropriated for this purpose by the central government will be 9.5 billion yuan (1.22 billion U.S. dollars) this year and 20 billion yuan (2.56 billion U.S. dollars) next year, and local governments should allocate corresponding amounts from local budgets.

"Education is the bedrock of China's development, and fairness in education is an important form of social fairness. We need to make education a strategic priority and accelerate the development of all types of education at all levels," said Wen.

Editor: Yan