Free education

Rinmo, the village student relocated to Nyingchi city with her family, is among those receiving a free education thanks to a policy introduced in Tibet in 1985.

As part of the Three Guarantees policy, the local authorities initially covered all tuition, food and boarding costs for students from the region's farming families during their nine years of compulsory education.

In 2012, the policy was extended to cover kindergartens and senior high schools. It also subsidizes students from impoverished urban families.

To date, more than 20 billion yuan has been invested to assist 8.93 million students, and this year over 2.54 billion yuan has been allocated to cover the costs of 648,600 beneficiaries, according to the regional education bureau.

With more than 2,000 students, Nyingchi Vocational and Technical School, the only one of its kind in the city, runs a range of courses.

These include preparing students to become chefs at star-rated hotels, preschool teachers who excel at Chinese and Tibetan dancing, e-commerce workers and even vehicle mechanics.

Two years ago, Yangzom registered at the school to major in Chinese cuisine.

The 17-year-old comes from a village in Gyaca county, Shannan prefecture, near Lhamo Latso－also known as Oracle Lake－some 300 kilometers from Nyingchi.

Her parents drove her to the school in their car, bought with additional income earned from work such as truck driving, selling caterpillar fungus and raising yaks.

Previously, the five-member household made a living solely from growing highland barley.