Published by: THE WORLD UYGHUR NETWORK NEWS December 15, 1997

12/09/97, Xinhua

"Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been praised by the central government and by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for its pro-literacy effort."

URUMQI (Xinhua) -- The number of illiterate people in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has fallen from 1949's 90 per cent to 4 per cent of the total population after nearly five decades.

The autonomous region has 16 million people, 76 per cent of whom are farmers and herdsmen. As a relatively backward region in terms of economic development, it has been praised by the central government and by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for its pro-literacy effort.

To promote literacy, the regional government allocates more than 1 million yuan ($12,600) every year for the campaign, and laws and regulations related to the work have been promulgated.

Technical training schools for farmers and herdsmen have also been set up in more than 80 per cent of the towns and counties in the region. The local government has also worked hard to provide educational opportunities for school-age children, and those efforts also have helped promote literacy. As a result, the region's urban illiteracy rate has been brought down to below 2 per cent, lower than the State's standards.