Students in Tibet benefiting from range of subsidies

The Tibet autonomous region has launched comprehensive subsidy policies to ensure all the region's high school graduates with financial difficulties have access to colleges and universities, covering a wider range of students and giving them more options when applying.

Both the number of college students receiving the subsidies and the total amount of subsidies has increased in recent years, statistics provided by the city education bureau in Lhokha showed.

Sonam Dorje, from the bureau's financial office, said the city helped more than 46,000 freshmen with various subsidies of more than 344 million yuan ($53 million) from 2016 to 2020.That was up from 14,023 students and 44 million yuan in the previous five years.

College students with critical family economic conditions can benefit from various scholarships, grants, school loans, tuition exemption, and part-time job opportunities offered by universities.

Students from poor families in the region who study in vocational colleges and universities can benefit from scholarships averaging between 3,300 yuan and 5,000 yuan a year.

At the same time, college students can get a school loan of up to 8,000 yuan a year, with the term of the loan lasting for 15 years.

Drime Chomo, a high school graduate from Lhasa-Nagchu Second High School in Lhasa, said she did well in her college entrance exam and is eagerly awaiting her admission letter.

"Many students in the region are from rural areas, and many parents have difficulties paying the expensive school fees in college," she said, adding she would need to apply for scholarships after enrolling at college.

"I have been relying on financial support from the government for the past 15 years of my schooling, and I will need more support in college as well, because my family's financial condition is not very good. My parents are herders. It is not easy for them to support me to finish college, and I will try my best to apply for whatever support is available."

According to the region's latest student sponsorship report, the region invested 353 million yuan in various sponsorship programs in 2019, including 49 million yuan paid to college students from registered poor households and rural families.

A total of 64,200 college students benefited from the region's sponsorship programs, including 11,600 college students from registered poor households and rural families.