BEIJING - China has developed nearly 300,000 students into village officials, with roughly two thirds of them incumbent, according to the latest data.

The figures, released at a working conference of the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also showed that 5,000 of them have been village heads.

Li Yuanchao, head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, urged organization officials to review the work on students-turned-officials and to perfect the system, so that they can serve as the backbones in building a socialist new countryside.

According to a statement issued after the conference, these officials are supposed to offer information, technology, policy education and law services to farmers.

Besides, greater efforts will be made to improve their employment, on-job education and promotion opportunities, and tougher tasks should be assigned to these young people, it was suggested.