China to expand educational support for children and youth with disabilities in Xizang
Dragon Media News Desk
China will expand support over the next five years for the education, rehabilitation, employment and social security of children and young people with disabilities in the Xizang Autonomous Region and other Tibetan-inhabited areas.
The China Disabled Persons’ Federation said at a work conference on Wednesday that special assistance will be strengthened through the paired-up assistance program during the 15th Five-Year Plan period from 2026 to 2030.
Under the program, efforts will be made to improve access to compulsory education for children with disabilities in Xizang and Tibetan-inhabited areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, while expanding opportunities for senior high school education.
The plan also includes measures to provide greater access to vocational and higher education for students with disabilities.
Data released at the conference showed that educational opportunities for children with disabilities in Xizang have steadily improved over the past five years. The region currently has seven special education schools with 1,037 students enrolled.
Another 3,621 children with disabilities attend regular schools alongside other students, while 2,570 receive home-based education or other forms of tailored educational services.
The enrollment rate of children with disabilities in compulsory education in Xizang has remained at around 97 percent. Students with disabilities pursuing higher education are also eligible for various forms of financial assistance.
During the new five-year period, authorities also plan to expand basic rehabilitation services for people with disabilities and strengthen rehabilitation assistance for children with disabilities.
The program will also promote employment services, improve implementation of social security policies and encourage greater participation of people with disabilities in sports and physical activities.
Xizang has provided 15 years of free education, from preschool through senior high school, since 2012.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period from 2021 to 2025, government investment in education in Xizang exceeded 183 billion yuan, an increase of more than 42 percent compared with the previous five-year period.
More than 3.5 billion yuan was allocated to the free education program during the same period. According to official data, students benefited from the program more than 3.9 million times cumulatively.
More than 97 percent of school-age children in the region remained in school throughout the nine-year compulsory education period.
Provinces and municipalities participating in the paired-up assistance program also sent more than 800 teachers to work in Xizang over the past five years.
Official data also show a significant expansion in access to higher education. The number of people with higher education per 100,000 residents increased from 5,507 in 2010 to 11,019 in 2020.
In 2025, three additional higher education institutions were established in Xizang. The share of new entrants to the workforce who had received higher education reached 59 percent.
The new five-year program aims to move beyond school enrollment alone by linking education for children and young people with disabilities to higher education, skills development, rehabilitation, employment and social security.
