ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the current educational situation of the national minorities in China and notes the progress made over the past forty years, as well as the policies and problems concerning the future educational development of the national minorities. At the national level, the illiteracy level of females is more than twice as high as males. This female/male discrepancy is smaller among the national minorities as a whole, but it varies a great deal between the minorities. The current educational policy of Yunnan Province focuses on the lower levels of education, on vocational and technical education, and on minority education. Yunnan Province is among the poorest and least literate areas of China, and half of its population lives in autonomous areas. Its current educational policy focuses on the lower levels of education, on vocational and technical education, and on minority education. The educational facilities and resources being insufficient, the policy now stresses quality education for selected pupils.
