The Guizhou provincial government is requiring that the minimum service life of newly built school buildings be 50 years.

The buildings must meet construction standards, earthquake-withstanding standards applied to key projects, and comprehensive disaster-prevention requirements.

Guizhou plans to reach the goals in five years.

Last year, the foundation of No 3 Middle School in Kaili city in the province collapsed, injuring seven students. After that, the safety of school buildings became a more urgent concern for the underdeveloped province.

To improve school buildings' ability to withstand earthquakes and to eliminate security risks, the Guizhou provincial government demands that each city and prefecture investigate safety loopholes of buildings and key auxiliary facilities every half a year, according to a recently released implementation plan on building safety for Guizhou's middle and primary schools.