Experts laud China's achievements in safeguarding ethnic minorities' right to education

GENEVA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China has made significant progress in safeguarding ethnic minorities' right to education during its modernization, said experts at a side event of the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council here Thursday.

During the event, hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, Chinese experts and scholars from universities and research institutions presented findings on China's efforts to guarantee ethnic minorities' right to education in its modernization, with a focus on Xizang Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Modernization is a crucial indicator of high-quality development, and education plays a key role in achieving it. With the acceleration of human civilization, ethnic minorities' right to education has received increasing attention, as it is closely related to the modernization of China and the world, said Wang Yanwen, deputy secretary-general of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.

Liang Junyan, a researcher at the Institute of History Studies of China Tibetology Research Center, shared cases of Tibetan students whose lives were changed through education. She said that the development of education in Xizang has not only improved the cultural literacy of local ethnic groups, but also provided strong talent support for Xizang's economic, social, and cultural progress.

China's efforts to safeguard the right to education of ethnic minorities in Xizang have greatly promoted the development of education in the region, said Jia Chunyang, executive director of the Center for Economic and Social Security Studies of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Tuersun Aibai, an associate professor with the School of Journalism and Communication of Xinjiang University, highlighted Xinjiang's continuous efforts to protect the right to education of all ethnic groups, especially minority groups.

Xinjiang has been broadening access to education, increasing investment in education, and promoting the teaching of the national common language. It has introduced courses in Uygur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Mongolian, and Xibe languages in primary and secondary schools, fully guaranteeing the right of minority students to learn their own languages, said Aibai.

Qiao Basheng, director of the Center for International Communication and Cultural Security Studies of the Northwest University of Political Science and Law, said that modern education in China not only safeguards the rights of ethnic minorities to maintain their own characteristics and dignity, but also provides opportunities and channels for them to participate in national development.

The right to education of ethnic minorities with disabilities is a manifestation of social equity and justice, and plays a significant role in promoting social progress and development. Remarkable achievements have been made in this regard in Xizang and Xinjiang, said Zhou Lulu, vice dean of the Institute for Human Rights at Guangzhou University.

Li Juan, a researcher from the Human Rights Studies Center of Central South University, said that China has continuously strengthened the legal basis for the protection of the right to education of ethnic minorities by formulating and implementing a series of education laws.

In the process of modernizing education in China, educational informatization is essential to ensure that ethnic minorities have access to education, while educational digitalization will become a stronger driving force for the protection of ethnic minorities' right to education, said Gong Xianghe, executive director of the Institute for Human Rights Studies of Southeast University.

A photo exhibition with the theme "Modern Life of ethnic minorities in China" was held simultaneously, demonstrating the practices of China's ethnic minorities in promoting modernization in political, economic, social, cultural and other fields.