Education transforms opportunities for Xinjiang youth, national political adviser says

Education has transformed opportunities for young people across the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a national political adviser said on Wednesday ahead of the annual session of China's top political advisory body.

Muyasser Tohti, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of Xinjiang Arts University, shared her personal experiences at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee opened on Wednesday afternoon.

Born in Hotan in southern Xinjiang, Muyasser Tohti recalled that when she was 16, she traveled for five days and nights by bus to reach Urumqi to study at Xinjiang Arts University. "I have personally witnessed the tremendous changes that have taken place across Xinjiang," she said.

In the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xinjiang had only one higher education institute. Last year, about 233,000 students were admitted to higher education institutions in Xinjiang, with programs closely aligned with the region's needs in fields such as energy, medicine, agriculture, information technology, culture, and tourism.

"Many young people in Xinjiang are changing their destinies through education and illuminating their futures through skills," she said.

Muyasser Tohti added that campuses have become vibrant places where different ethnic cultures meet and blend. Performances featuring art forms such as Uygur Muqam and Peking Opera are often staged together at campus events.