China to Enhance Vocational Education in Ethnic Minority RegionsThe State Ethnic Affairs Commission and the Ministry of Education issued an circular recently, calling for improving vocational education in China's ethnic minority regions.The circular says that "experiences in the past two decades show that reliance on science and technology, as well as education, is an inevitable route for the economic rejuvenation of China's ethnic minority regions". By 1997, the total number of students enrolled by secondary vocational schools in minority regions was much less than the that of students at senior middle schools. The layout of vocational schools and the curricula could not meet the needs of minority regions. "For comparatively developed minority regions, efforts should be made to help the junior and senior middle school students to learn techniques applicable to modern agriculture." By 2005, the total number of students enrolled by secondary vocational schools in ethnic minority regions will be the same or even surpasses the total number of students in senior middle schools. China has 56 nationalities, and its ethnic minority population surpasses 100 million, accounting for more than eight percent of the country's total. |
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