Xinhua reports that primary and middle school students in Beijing's Shunyi district will get free education and uniforms starting September 2006.

Shunyi will offer free textbooks to about 60,000 students and school uniforms to the about 41,000 who have registered permanent residences in the district.

The district is the first in Beijing to set forth detailed provisions. China's capital plans to offer free nine-year compulsive education in the coming five years.

China will invest more than RMB100 billion in elementary education in the coming five years, said a senior official of the Ministry of Education Tuesday.