Research on Compulsory Education in the Tibetan Regions of Qinghai and Yunnan Provinces

China has launched an all-out campaign to eradicate “basic and semi-illiteracy”, and achieve “basic universal access to compulsory education” (two basics). In Diqing Prefecture found in the Yunnan Province and Yushu and Guoluo Prefectures in Qinghai, where we undertook our survey, this task has become a major priority for the local government and has been carried out through a short-term campaign. School infrastructure has been improved greatly, but similar progress has not been made with regards to the competence of the teachers. Due to disparate levels of cultural exchange and economic development between the Tibetan regions of Yunnan and Qinghai, there are great differences in the attitude of local residents towards sending their children to school. Hence, the difficulty of promoting compulsory education also varies between the two provinces. In addition, the promotion of compulsory education has, to some extent, crowded out private schools and other forms of assistance. This chapter also describes some success stories and undertakes a brief analysis of the relationship between private and government-funded education. In conclusion, this chapter makes a number of policy recommendations focused on the promotion of compulsory education in Tibetan regions.