Body identified

Police in Huaihua, Hunan Province, confirmed on Sunday night that a body found buried under a high school sports ground last week is that of Deng Shiping, a former member of the school’s maintenance* staff, who went missing more than 16 years ago.

Also, Huang Bingsong, the then headmaster of the school, has now been placed under investigation by the local disciplinary* authorities, according to a Xinhua report. On Thursday, police dug up a body that had been buried under the running track at Xinhuang No. 1 Middle School many years ago.

Earthquakes

Thirty-one people were injured after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake jolted* Gongxian County in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Saturday, local authorities said on Sunday.

Twenty-one remain hospitalized for observation and treatment, according to a press conference held by the quake relief headquarters in the city of Yibin, which administers Gongxian County. A 6.0-magnitude earthquake previously hit Changning County of Yibin on June 17 and around 243,880 people were affected.

Rural schools

A total of 1,000 rural primary schools across China will offer science and technology literacy courses to improve the scientific practice of rural students, the People’s Daily has reported.

The project was launched on June 18 in Beijing at a seminar attended by nationwide experts and scholars in science and education. The project will spend 38 million yuan (US$5.50 million) offering courses, textbooks and teaching aids to 1,000 rural primary schools in more than 20 provincial-level regions, including Yunnan, Guangxi and Tibet.

High school education

A newly published guideline on senior high school education reform aims to improve education quality with expanded enrollment, said a senior official with the Ministry of Education on Thursday.

China’s high school education has expanded fast, but education at this level has outstanding problems such as being exam-oriented and neglecting students’ development in aspects other than academic performance, said Lyu Yugang.(SD-Agencies)