BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- About 5.14 million poor students in China have received higher education since 2012, providing millions of poor families with their first college-educated generation, according to the Ministry of Education.

Addressing an international symposium on poverty alleviation through education on Wednesday, Vice Minister of Education Tian Xuejun said popularizing quality education is the key foundation for poverty eradication.

To help increase the prosperity of poor villages, China has implemented targeted education assistance, vigorously supported the educational development of poor areas, established a sound financial-aid policy system for students from poor families, and promoted the development of vocational and adult education, Tian noted. Enditem