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Every Minority Nationality Has its Own College Students
Before the new China was founded in 1949, more than 80% of the ethnic minorities were illiterates. But now all the 55 ethnic minorities have their own college students, and some even have postgraduates and doctors.
Up to the end of last year, China registered 18.4 million ethnic students on campus at different levels with the rate of young illiterates decreased by a big margin.
To support ethnic education, China has set aside special subsidies for the ethnic education including training for teachers, and subsidies for vocational education. Governments at different levels in localities have also laid aside subsidies for ethnic education with some preferential policies mapped out.
Recent years have seen a big increase in the number of ethnic students on campus at various levels with middle school and college students increased by 30% in 1999 as compared with that of 1995. Great progress has been made in compulsory education in ethnic minority regions, and by the end of 1999, some 291 units at and above county level in the ethnic autonomous regions have achieved the goal of the nine-year compulsory education and the elimination of young illiterates.
But due to various reasons, the education level in the regions of ethnic minorities sees an obvious disparity as compared with the country's average level, especially with that in the eastern part of China. In these areas teaching facilities lag far behind and cash for education is seriously constrained. Therefore, the rates for schooling children to enter schools and junior school students to go in for further study in high schools are quite low, and the primary and middle school teachers are insufficient and their qualification in teaching is lower than as required. With the education system in relatively backward condition, all these are the factors hindering the development of the education in ethnic minority regions.
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