Foundation official: China will not issue education lottery

BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China will not issue lottery to raise educational fund, according to an official of the country's education development foundation.

"All of the governmental outgoing in education and all of the public colleges and universities expenses should be covered by governments," said Zhang Baoqing, director-general of the China Education Development Foundation, at a press conference in Beijingon Friday.

Although educational lottery has been proposed for more than ten years, the central government will not approve it since education is a commonweal, said Zhang, former vice education minister who has led the foundation since he retired in 2005.

"Lottery could not solve the problems that China's education has encountered," Zhang told the press.

Zhang is known for his criticism on local governments over educational issues and ever-increasing college tuitions.

The central budget has decided to allocate 300 million yuan from China's lottery income to finance poor students in senior high schools in middle and west regions. It is also the first timefor central government to finance senior high school students.