BEIJING — China’s central treasury allocated 19 billion yuan ($3 billion) to support pre-school and high school education, especially in rural areas, the Ministry of Finance said on Aug 24.

The funds will be split, with 15 billion yuan spent to guide and encourage local governments to improve pre-school education resources, while 4 billion yuan will be used to upgrade facilities in high schools in impoverished regions, the ministry said.

The moves are meant to better allocate education resources and bridge the gap between urban and rural education.

A recent survey released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) showed two-thirds of China’s 90 million children aged six and under still live in rural areas and receive insufficient early childhood education.

During the 2011-15 period, the central government allocated a total of 71.93 billion yuan to support pre-school education.