BEIJING -?The Chinese government has allocated 134.5 billion yuan ($20.5 billion) to subsidize compulsory education this year, the Ministry of Finance said Tuesday.

The funds, taken from the central coffer, increased by 3 percent from spending in 2015, the ministry said in a statement.

China requires children to receive nine years of compulsory education,normally from the ages of 6 to 15.

The subsidy should be used to balance education resources between urban and rural areas, according to the statement.

More funds should go to boarding schools, small schools or those with inadequate resources, and those with a large number of students from rural migrant families, the ministry said.

Part of the subsidy will also be spent on improving rural students' nutrition and the livelihood of rural teachers in poverty-stricken areas.