The central government is planning to raise university enrolment among students in Tibet to 30 per cent over the next five years, local officials said yesterday, as the region marked the 60th anniversary of its 'peaceful liberation' with a series of celebrations presided over by Vice-President Xi Jinping.
Xi reiterated during his meeting with university students that Tibet was an inalienable part of China, and that Tibetans were part of the Chinese community, state-run broadcaster CCTV reported.
The vice-president, joined by a 59-member central government delegation, attended the opening ceremony of an exhibition showcasing the development of the region.
Beijing has been scrambling to calm ethnic tensions in the region since riots in March 2008.
Among the latest measures is a plan to spend 3 billion yuan (HK$3.63 billion) to boost university enrolment from the current 23.4 per cent, Xinhua quoted Song Heping, head of the regional government's education department, as saying yesterday.
One-third of the funds will be invested in infrastructure, while the rest will go to improve teaching and research quality at six institutions. More than 13,000 students, mostly ethnic Tibetans, study at Tibet's six universities and junior colleges.
'The enrolment measures can help train Tibetans to become local government officials, which will be useful in tackling local problems,' said Hu Shisheng , a researcher in South Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
