SANYA, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Jack Ma Foundation (the Foundation), established by Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma in late 2014 to help improve education, the environment, public health and support people development in the nonprofit sector, last night awarded the Foundation’s inaugural annual teacher’s grants of 10 million yuan (US$1.57 million) to one hundred rural teachers in China at an award ceremony in Sanya, Hainan.
The grants are the first annual award under the Jack Ma Rural Teacher Plan, launched in September 2015 by the Foundation to support rural education in China. One hundred rural teachers from western China selected by the Foundation were awarded 100,000 yuan each to help benefit rural schools and students, and to support the improvement of rural education in China.
Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, said at last night’s award ceremony in Sanya: “I have been working all my life, but the one thing that I wanted to be the most is being a teacher. The reason that I’m doing rather well today, a large part of it was due to the experience I gained from being a teacher for six years. Rural teachers are the bedrock of their communities and are in urgent need of support. We hope to inspire respect for these teachers, make this a career more attractive to young people, enable more teachers to empower students and ultimately bridge the rural education gap in China.”
Under the Rural Teacher Plan, professional grants are awarded to teachers for the benefit of their schools, students and professional development, targeting regions most in need of funding and support in China. Each recipient this year will be granted 100,000 yuan (US$15,200) over three years, including 90,000 yuan in cash grants and 10,000 yuan to support their professional training. Applicants are required to have worked in rural schools in western China for at least three years and demonstrated the contributions they have made to support rural education.
About Jack Ma Foundation
Jack Ma Foundation is a charitable organization that was established in 2014 by Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, with the aim to promote human development in harmony with both society and the environment. The Foundation’s mission is to work toward a world with bluer skies, cleaner water, healthier communities and more open thinking. It focuses on Education, Environment, Public Health and People Development in the Nonprofit sector, with a view to fostering an innovative and sustainable model for a better world.