The Chinese government has always attached importance to developing the education among the ethnic minorities. On October 10, 1980, it issued the Opinion On Improving Education for the Ethnic Minorities. Later, the Central Committee of the CPC worked out a decision on educational structural reform, and began to adopt a series of special policies to support the education for ethnic minorities.

In carrying out the policy, governments in the ethnic group concentrated areas worked out education plans by fully considering the special conditions and characteristics of different ethnic nationalities. Not copying the practice in developing education in the areas where the Han people live, the education plans in these areas are designed to promote development of the cultures of the ethnic minorities. Both the Chinese language and the languages of ethnic minorities are taught in schools in these areas. Foreign languages are also taught if condition permits.

Students in most of the schools in the ethnic minority regions are free from paying tuition fees. The boarding schools for students of ethnic minorities, special classes for the students of ethnic minorities within ordinary schools and middle schools specially for these students are now popular throughout the country. There are 257 pastoral or agricultural/pastoral counties in the country, where ethnic groups concentrate. These counties are located respectively in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous regions, and Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan provinces. All these areas operate primary and secondary boarding schools, in which students' food, clothing and accommodation are financially supported by the government. The education among the ethnic minorities has received great attention in those areas where ethnic groups concentrate, such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Ningxia, Guangxi, Qinghai, Yunnan, Guizhou, Gansu and Sichuan. Conditions of running schools have been progressively improved through joint efforts made by the central and local governments.

To accelerate social and economic development in Tibet, the government has run classes special for Tibetans since 1984 in Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Shanxi and Yunnan. The aim is to train talents needed by Tibet. Most of the classes are of secondary education level while some are of the advanced level. The term of the junior middle schools is four years, including one year for studying the courses of primary school. The term for senior and secondary vocational schools is three years. The students are mainly Tibetan children aged 11-14, who enter the schools by passing entrance examinations. All their expenses are covered by the government. Upon graduation, all of them return to Tibet to work except few excellent ones who are supported by the government to continue their studies.

According to the Law on the Autonomy of Ethnic Minority Regions and the Education Law, more than 10,000 schools conduct bilingual teaching, covering some 60 nationality languages and 29 written ones.

Statistics show there were 18.15 million ethnic minority students in 1997. The overall attendance rate of school-age children was 97.65 percent in Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan, while that of girls was 97.05 percent.

In 1997, China's ethnic minority autonomous regions boasted many kinds of schools, including 101 general schools of higher learning, 11,563 middle schools, 103,139 primary schools, 12 independently-established nationalities institutes, 40 normal colleges, over 100 secondary normal schools, 2,900 middle schools of nationalities, 300 vocational middle schools of nationalities and 2,500 primary schools of nationalities. In pastoral and mountainous areas and outlying districts, there are 6,000 boarding primary and middle schools for nationalities, over 2,000 independent kindergartens, and more than 200 classes and preparatory courses for nationalities. There are 867,500 teachers of minority groups nationwide.

Many developed inland areas are supporting education among the ethnic minorities in poverty-stricken counties, with assistance funds (including equipment value) reaching 80 million yuan. These have supported more than 80 middle and primary schools, trained over 4,000 teachers and cadres, and assisted 4,000 drop-out students in areas where nationalities concentrate. Some 100,000 teaching materials have been donated.