Dropout rate plummets in Tibet

Despite many governmental preferential policies in education, dropouts still happen at schools in the Tibet autonomous region — but great efforts in prevention have led to positive results over the years, China Tibet News reported on Monday.

According to a database of school-aged children between 0 and 15 established by the regional education department, dropouts of school-aged children have been almost eradicated.

The database helps educational institutes learn basic information of school-age populations in the region's cities, districts, counties and townships.

According to official figures, by the end of July the region had 12,062 children younger than 15 who had dropped out or were deprived.

The region's education authority signed contracts with the region's cities and prefectures over the responsibility on dropouts.

At present, most of the 12,062 children have all agreed to resume schooling or have already returned, and dropouts have been almost eliminated from the work list.

With follow-ups for disabled school-aged children, the region's county-level institutes of healthcare, civil affairs, disabled person's services and schools have worked together to assess the rural areas.

After evaluation and survey, some disabled children and adolescents are sent to special schools, and the remaining people with severe disabilities have had on-the-spot teaching services arranged for them.

Rural students in the Tibet autonomous region benefit from three educational preferential policies in the stage of compulsory education: tuition exemption, the "three guarantees", including free meals, accommodation and basic study materials, and nutrition improvement, in which all rural students receive nutritious meals every day.