"Boarding education in Xinjiang is a crystallization of the Chinese government's efforts to protect the right to education for people of all ethnic groups," said Gao Tongtong, an expert on Xinjiang issues in China.
"Education builds the foundation for people's well-rounded development and the development of a country or an ethnic group. Education is a right that should be enjoyed by all, and anyone should have fair access to education and the right to change their life by receiving education, regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, profession, financial status, or religious belief," noted the scholar from the Institute for Communication and Borderland Governance, Jinan University.
The Chinese government has shown strong support for Xinjiang's education in the past 50 years, bringing the benefits of development to people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang in a fairer way, Gao said.
In 2020, Xinjiang'sgross enrollment rate of preschools reached 98.19 percent; its nine-year compulsory education retention rate hit 95.69 percent; its gross enrollment rate of high schools stood at 98.87 percent. The education for people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang has reached its best level in history in terms of enrollment.
"The achievements are, to some extent, related to the boarding education system," Gao noted, adding that Xinjiang has built nearly 400 boarding primary and middle schools since the 1980s to enable children in remote areas to access quality education.
The Chinese government has fully covered the operating expenses of boarding schools. In the stage of compulsory education, students in boarding schools are free of tuition and textbook fees, like students in other schools, and enjoy other favorable policies, effectively reducing the financial burden on students' families.
"The boarding school education system is an effective measure implemented in Xinjiang based on geographical considerations to provide all children with the opportunity to receive modern education," said Gao.
"Education is closely related to whether a family can succeed. It also decides the rise and fall of a country or an ethnic group," noted Gao, adding that countries around the globe should make more efforts to ensure that their people have access to education and bring achievements of educational development to all people around the world.