China to expand education support for people with disabilities in Xizang

LHASA -- China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) said on Wednesday that greater efforts will be made through the country's paired-up assistance program to support the development of education for children and young people with disabilities in Xizang and other Tibetan-inhabited areas over the next five years.

A circular issued at a work conference held by the CDPF said the federation will support Xizang autonomous region and Tibetan-inhabited areas in provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai in improving access to compulsory education for children with disabilities and developing senior high school education during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30).

Measures will also be taken to expand the access to vocational and higher education for relevant groups, it said.

Over the past five years, Xizang has steadily improved educational opportunities for people with disabilities, according to data released at the conference. The region's seven special education schools provide regular access to education for students with disabilities, with 1,037 students currently enrolled.

A total of 3,621 children with disabilities attend regular schools alongside other students, while 2,570 receive home-based or other tailored educational services. The enrollment rate for children with disabilities in compulsory education has stayed at around 97 percent, according to the data.

Students with disabilities pursuing higher education are also eligible for various forms of financial assistance.

According to the CDPF, during the 2026-30 period, the federation and its local branches will support Xizang and Tibetan-inhabited areas in providing basic rehabilitation services to people with disabilities who need them, as well as rehabilitation assistance for children with disabilities.

They will also help promote employment services for people with disabilities and ensure the implementation of social security policies benefiting relevant groups.

Efforts will be made to further support the participation of people with disabilities in sports and fitness activities, the CDPF document said.

Since 2012, Xizang has taken the lead in China in providing 15 years of free education for children, covering from kindergarten through high school.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), total government investment in education in Xizang topped 183 billion yuan (about $27 billion), up over 42 percent from the previous five-year period. More than 3.5 billion yuan was allocated for the free education program, benefiting students over 3.9 million times cumulatively.

In Xizang, over 97 percent of school-age children remained in school through the nine-year compulsory education period.

Meanwhile, provinces and municipalities paired with Xizang under the paired-up assistance program sent more than 800 teachers to work in the region over the past five years.

The number of people with a higher education background per 100,000 residents in the region doubled from 5,507 in 2010 to 11,019 in 2020, official data showed.

In 2025, Xizang added three higher education institutions, further optimizing its higher education network. The share of the region's new entrants to the workforce who had received higher education reached 59 percent.