The Jack Ma Foundation announced on Monday that it would donate some 200 million yuan over the next 10 years to the cause of supporting outstanding headmasters from rural areas.

For the first year of headmaster selection, the foundation will spend 12 million yuan to support 20 headmasters from primary and high schools in rural areas. Each headmaster will receive 500,000 yuan to use as he or she wishes. The foundation will then conduct a follow-up audit on how the money was spent, thepaper.cn reported.

The foundation will also organize overseas tours for the headmasters to learn from famous schools in other countries. A community will be established for the headmasters to exchange opinions.

“The headmasters' passion for education and their teaching ideologies can decide the culture on campus. The way they manage their schools can determine the effectiveness of the teaching. Their leadership can decide the school’s atmosphere and vitality,” Ma was quoted as saying.

The Jack Ma Foundation also identified a selection of outstanding rural teachers in September of 2015. Every year, a total of 100 rural teachers will be chosen, and each will be awarded 10,000 yuan to support his or her teaching career for three years.

The criteria for headmaster selection have yet to be broadcast. Rural teachers are eligible for the teaching award once they have been working for a minimum of five years in villages or townships.

There are over 40 million students currently studying in rural areas in China. The number of rural teachers is about 3 million, according to media reports.