The Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, the first autonomous region set up in China, has called on junior middle schools to offer foreign languages courses.

In addition, local officials in charge of education should enroll more primary school students and spare no effort in developing programs for vocational ethnic education and ethnic higher education, said Boyin Delger, vice-chairman of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, at an autonomous regional meeting on education in Hohhot on November 11.

The vice-chairman, who is in charge of education for the people of various ethnic groups, urged that priority be placed on education in ethnic regions so as to upgrade the overall quality of students there.

"The government of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region has always insisted on the principle of giving preference to ethnic education," Boyin Delger said.

The reform of ethnic education has resulted in improved education quality and the rapid growth of vocational ethnic education, and there are more job options available for ethnic students, who have been educated in Mongolian language.

According to statistics available, the number of students with ethnic minority backgrounds in various types of schools in Inner Mongolia has reached 898,900, of which 765,100 are Mongolian.