Shenzhen will invest 220 million yuan (US$27.5 million) this year on six construction projects to add 8,880 new places at secondary schools, according to the city government's budget plans.

The city is making efforts to offer senior high school or vocational school education to every teenager with hukou (permanent residence permit), said Vice Mayor Yan Xiaopei.

A total of 1.34 billion yuan from the 2007 government budget will go to education sectors, including compulsory education, vocational schools and private schools. The figure is 640 million yuan more than that of last year, Yan said.

"We have submitted a proposal to the city's development and reform commission to list the six new boarding schools as key construction projects in Shenzhen in 2007," said Lai Qunyang, an official with the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau.

No. 4 Senior High School, occupying an area of 108,000 square meters in Xili, Nanshan District, will be ready for use by June and begin taking students in the fall semester. It will offer 3,000 places in 60 classes.

Construction of No. 5 Senior High School, occupying 119,171.10 square meters in Guanlan, Bao'an District, will begin in May.

"We are pushing to begin construction of two other schools, one in Bao'an and one in Longgang, by the end of this year. Plans for the final two are still being prepared," Lai said.

The expansion of Bibo Middle School in Luohu District and the Yantian branch of Shenzhen Foreign Languages School will add the remaining school places this year.

Editor: Yan