Students from ethnic minority groups also receive a daily subsidy of 2 yuan ($0.29) in primary school and 3 yuan ($0.43) in middle school. On average, the monthly expense of each student total about 50 yuan ($7.2), said Wei.

"Since the only way out of poverty is through education and the cost of it is at such an affordable level, more families are beginning to send their children to school," he added.

Multiple measures

Guangxi is the region with the largest population of minority people, which stands at 12.21 million, making up 38 percent of the region's total population. The population of the Zhuang nationality tops China's other minority groups, with a total of 18 million, 90 percent of whom live in Guangxi. In recent years, ethnic minority education in Guangxi has been given priority with the strong support of government at all levels.

So far the region has 138 ethnic minority schools, of which two are higher education schools, 19 middle schools, 52 primary schools and 65 Zhuang-language schools. The ratio of ethnic minority students to the gross number of students at each level is: 36 percent in primary schools, 37 percent in middle schools, 35 percent in high schools, 44 percent in vocational schools and 35 percent in higher education schools.

The nation's ethnic minority policies are a key factor in boosting education in Guangxi. Ethnic minority education has been given preferential treatment in terms of education investment. The regional government has raised education subsidies since 2003, from 234 yuan ($40) to 500 yuan ($72) annually for each primary school student and from 336 yuan ($48) to 600 yuan ($87) annually for each middle and high school student.

Students from ethnic minorities are also given preferential treatment when it comes to getting a place at university, getting a bonus of 20 points at most. If they score equal to a Han Chinese candidate the ethnic minority student is given priority. The aim is to see enrollment by ethnic minority students mirror their population numbers.

On the basis of raising ethnic minority enrollment rates and education quality the region has spared no effort in promoting Zhuang language and bilingual Han-Zhuang teaching. It has earmarked an annual special fund of 4.12 million yuan ($600,000) for bilingual-language teaching projects in 68 primary schools across 23 Zhuang-dominated counties and established courses in the Zhuang language in 25 ethnic minority middle schools and four ethnic minority normal schools.

School dropouts

The old-fashioned thinking that men are superior to women is still prevalent in some remote ethnic minority areas. As a result, the issue of female dropouts is prominent in these areas and this group has attracted special attention from the outside.

Hua Guang Girl's High School, an all-girl private school, has shepherded thousands of dropout girls back to school since it was started eight years ago. At present the school has 403 students who are all from poverty-stricken ethnic minority areas.

The school's principal and founder, Liu Guanghua, is a female intellectual of solid will and social responsibility. Liu is a professional in the education field and a researcher on women's psychology. She toured ethnic minority areas in Guangxi during her research and found the problem of girls dropping out after middle school graduation to be serious.

In 2000, Liu and her husband, who is also a teacher, established the school with their own money, plus some backing. In the beginning, there were just 80 student boarders who only had to pay a tiny boarding fee. With almost no funds to support it the school was almost closed at the end of 2005.

Its savior was a Hong Kong-registered charity called Sowers Action that decided, after a careful survey of its work, to subsidize the school. In 2009, Sowers Action will invest 12 million yuan ($1.7 million) to expand the school, leaving a question now over where to house it.

Many constructive forces have been fighting to promote female education in Guangxi, including the government, NGOs and international organizations.

Starting in January 2003, UNESCO established girls' vocational education classes in five counties that supply 200 poor ethnic minority girls with living expenses and tuition. They are taught basic education to middle school level, as well as agricultural subjects that relate to their local environment. After three years of study, some of the girls return to their hometowns to carve out their own careers.