Investment in Tibet's education surges

LHASA -- Investment by central and local government into Tibet's education reached 15.7 billion yuan ($2.4 billion dollars) last year, about 2.5 times the sum in 2010.

According to the statistics by the local educational department released earlier this month, government of the autonomous region in southwest China spent about 64 billion yuan in education from 2010 to 2015.

Thanks to the increased funding, Tibet has been able to scrap tuition for all children in public kindergartens, primary schools and high schools, boosting school enrollment.

A subsidy issued for schools to help children of farmers and herdsmen receive free accommodation, meals and tuition in 1985 was raised to an average of 3,000 yuan for each student a year in 2015.

Puncog, head of a primary school in herdsmen-inhabited Gangga Township, said many parents used to refuse to send their children to school, because they did not want to pay the tuition while losing a laborer at home.

"But now, the funding policy helps reduce the families' economic burden," Puncog said.

Tibet has 1,855 schools and more than 600,000 students. The enrollment rate of primary, junior high and high schools have exceeded 98 percent, 96 percent and 74 percent respectively.

Local education authorities promised to improve infrastructure in some remote areas where schools lack stable power supply and students lack access to clean drinking water.