The young illiterate and semiliterate rate of the Tibet Autonomous Region has plummeted to 39 percent, according to the Regional Education Department.

Before the peaceful liberation of Tibet 50 years ago, the region's illiteracy rate hit 97 percent, with less than 2 percent of schooling-age children going to school. At present, of the 2.61 million Tibetans, 33,000 are attending colleges and universities, accounting for 1.3 percent of the total population; 89,000 are studying in senior middle schools or secondary technical schools, accounting for 3.4 percent.

In addition, 160,500 people are attending junior middle schools, accounting for 6.1 percent, while 801,000 people are studying in primary schools, making up 30.6 percent. In old Tibet, there was no school in the modern sense. Lamaseries monopolized the educational system, with very few schools for monks and officials.

Tibet currently has introduced an educational system with local and ethnic characteristics, including preschool education, primary school education, middle school education, secondary technical school education, adult education and TV education.

Tibet has more than 4,360 schools of all kinds and teaching sites.

The Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government have implemented a series of preferential policies on the educational work in Tibet such as free education. Since 1985, some schools have provided food, clothing and accommodation for middle school students and pupils.

(People's Daily 05/25/2001)