The Seventh Conference Commending Ethnic Unity and Progress in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was held in Guangxi People’s Hall on December 30, 2013. Du Liqun, a graduate student who majored in administrative management of the undergraduate programme; Li Donglan from Yongning District and Tan Xiaosong from Longan County,

graduate students from the “One College Student per Village” programme; and Huang Yaocheng, a teacher in charge of the programme and Director of Guangxi RTVU’s Office of Community Affairs, were four of the commended. They attended the conference and were kindly received by the leaders of the autonomous region.

For years, Guangxi RTVU has been committed to the “One College Student per Village” programme and cultivating rural qualified workers for the whole region, particularly in under-developed minority areas. The first priority is to get funding and policy support for the construction of community RTVUs in minority areas. Since Guangxi RTVU launched the “One College Student per Village” programme in the autumn semester of 2004, 66 tutorial centres have been set up in minority areas; 1.8 million RMB of special funds for equipment have been obtained for the improvement of teaching conditions in minority counties; and the relevant autonomous regional government departments have been persuaded to allocate 1.6 million RMB to subsidize the tuition of rural ethnic minority cadres. In addition, teachers from all ethnic groups, such as Zhuang, Yao and Miao, have been sent for off-job training at China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU). The second priority is to focus on “poverty alleviation” to train practical rural workers for minority areas. In response to the current situation in the counties of the region, especially in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities in compact communities, 18 agricultural science majors have been offered with over 190 practical courses, training disks for over 400 agricultural skills have been integrated and produced, 21 training bases of agricultural characteristics with excellent backbone students have been built, and over 500,000 farmers have been trained. Representative farmer-students have attended international agricultural exhibitions and trade fairs, including the China-Asean Expo Agricultural Exhibition, broadening their vision and offering them rare opportunities to open new markets.

In the past 10 years, Guangxi RTVU has made great achievements in implementing the “One College Student per Village” programme and has trained a host of qualified workers for all ethnic groups. Statistics show that over 6000 farmers from different ethnic groups in the region have been granted the opportunity to learn, of which 4012 have graduated. Ethnic minority students account for 41.2% of the total, and approximately 68% of the farmer-students have entered the village leadership of the CPC branch committee or the villagers’ autonomous committee in the 2011 election. Maonan, Mulao and Jing ethnic groups also have their own local university students. A number of excellent workers have come to the fore. For example, Zou Cunliang from the Yao ethnic group and Wu Guang from the Zhuang ethnic group were two of the 100 students honored with the title of “National Outstanding Rural Worker” when they graduated in 2008. In December 2008, 50 representatives of the “One College Student per Village” programme were invited to attend the Sixth Conference Commending Ethnic Unity and Progress in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Li Donglan and Wu Guanglin were commended as advanced national and regional individuals for ethnic unity and progress. Among the students, two were honored as national ethnic minority model farmers, nine were honored as regional model farmers, two were elected as deputies to the National People’s Congress, two were elected as delegates to the CPC National Congress, and eight were elected as deputies to the Regional People’s Congress or delegates to the CPC Regional Congress. Over the past three years, 41 ethnic minority farmer-students from the “One College Student per Village” programme have emerged successfully in the public examinations for the selection of deputy township mayors. Furthermore, a batch of leaders in poverty alleviation for prosperity has also been trained, including Wu Tianlai, Yang Shunliang and Tang Wangqi.

Li Donglan, Graduate Student of Guangxi RTVU “One College Student per Village” Programme, and Huang Yaocheng, in charge of the Programme and Director of Guangxi RTVU’s Office of Community Affairs

Huang Yaocheng, in charge of Guangxi RTVU “One College Student per Village” Programme and Director of Guangxi RTVU’s Office of Community Affairs at the Commendation Conference

By Mao Hanshuo, Guangxi RTVU