SAN FRANCISCO, June 3 (Xinhua) -- China has achieved tremendous progress in the growth of its human resources over the past several decades, a China expert from U.S. Stanford University said Sunday.

Scott Rozelle, professor and co-director of the Rural Education Action Program at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, told an academic seminar that young people who are admitted to senior schools should be given the chance to acquire the skills that would allow them to contribute to the country's economic and social development.

Delivering a keynote speech on the impact of the rural-urban divide on China at the Eighth (2018) Annual Conference of Stanford Chinese Visiting Scholars, Rozelle said it is critical for all children to acquire future skills at this particular period.

With a long-term target of popularizing senior school education among young people, China has witnessed rapid growth in its nationwide enrollment rate for senior high schools over the past few decades, figures from the Chinese Ministry of Education shows.

For China, the major challenge is in rural areas, where more children have to receive secondary education, said the Stanford professor.

It's important for Chinese children in rural areas improve their cognitive ability, both mental and physical health, which requires government involvement and support, Rozelle said.

He said the Chinese government has actually been aware of the problem and made continuous efforts to build better schools, offer affordable nutritious lunch for rural school kids, and provide them with a more comfortable environment to ensure a better education.