BEIJING - "Life is more precious than knowledge" is the guiding principle behind the ongoing renovation of China's school buildings, which began in the wake of a 2008 earthquake that destroyed hundreds of classrooms in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Renovation projects have begun in nearly 130,000 middle and primary schools, covering 98 percent of the total number of schools scheduled to receive renovations, according to figures from the Ministry of Education.

Governments at multiple levels have spent three years and 228 billion yuan ($36 billion) to rebuild and reinforce schools nationwide, according to the ministry.

The projects began in 2009, a year after a devastating quake hit Wenchuan of Sichuan Province, leaving more than 80,000 dead or missing, and destroying many schools in the quake zone.

The education ministry declared in 2010 that maintaining campus security and protecting students will be a "top political task" for the country in the future.

More than 300,000 school renovation projects are currently proceeding smoothly in 19 of the country's provincial regions, the statement said.

In north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, more than 21 billion yuan has been spent to reinforce 16 million square km of school property.

A variety of new methods and measures have been created to enhance supervision over renovation projects, the ministry said.

Zhangzhou city of Southeast China's Fujian Province has allocated a special fund of 4 million yuan for cities, counties and schools under its jurisdiction that have made rapid progress in improving the quality of local renovation projects, while Shanghai has issued a strict inspection circular to ensure the quality of renovated school buildings.