China is promoting "bilingual teaching" in its ethnic minority regions, so students will learn in Mandarin Chinese and their local language.

According to Chinese laws, schools that mainly enroll students of minority ethnic groups in China's autonomous regions should use textbooks written in their own characters and receive teaching in their own language.

At present, there are more than 6 million students studying in 10,000 bilingual schools in China.

Among China's 56 registered ethnic groups, 21 have their own characters.

(CRI.com May 23, 2005)