Tibetans receive 8.4 years of education on average, according to data released by education authorities of Tibet Autonomous Region on January 14.

The data also showed that primary school enrollment rates in the region reached 99.59 percent in 2013.

In 2013, the regional government invested 11 billion yuan ($1.82 billion) in education, benefiting 600,200 enrolled students, according to Ma Shengchang, director of the regional education department.

Ma added that Tibet was the first place in China to provide nine-year compulsory education for free, back in 2007, and it was the first to provide 15-year education for free when it started doing so in 2012.

The regional government also plans to increase the annual budget for the educational subsidy scheme by 70.5 million yuan ($11.65 million) from September.

In the coming semester beginning in fall, children at a kindergarten through to a senior high level will receive 2,900 yuan ($479) each to help cover annual expenses for food, accommodation and educational supplies while they attend boarding school, according to Lu Mingxiu, an official with the Tibet Bureau of Finance.