China's education authority has vowed to help poverty-stricken students complete their schooling with nearly 100 billion yuan ($15.7 billion) invested in helping the countries poorest students in 2011.

On Thursday, China.com.cn reported the total amount spent on sponsoring students reached 98.62 billion in 2011, an increase of 15.94 percent over the previous year.

The money covers 78.74 million students from primary and secondary school students to college students.

Around 130 million, or 87 percent of all primary and secondary school students received free textbooks distributed by education authorities.

New projects were started in 2011 to expand the sponsoring system to preschool education, and provide meal subsidies to students in poverty-stricken regions.

The government subsidy is regarded as a major way to improve education equality. Since the implementation of the medium- and long-term educational reform and development outline in 2010, helping impoverished students is on the priority list of China's education authorities at all levels.