The northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang has invested more than 170 billion VND (7.9 million USD) to build new boarding schools and improve access to education for ethnic students in the locality.

Four high schools have been established and provided with learning and teaching equipment since 2011, bringing the total boarding schools to seven, according to the Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Education and Training Ma Quang Hieu.

The province also offered training courses for about 400 administrators and teachers to improve their professional skills and knowledge about the customs and languages of ethnic minorities.

More than 2,000 ethnic students have registered for the 2014 academic year, raising the rate of ethnic students in high schools to 5.1 percent from 0.7 percent in 2009.

Nearly 90 percent of ethnic minority students in Tuyen Quang have pursued their studies in colleges and universities nationwide after graduating from high school.-VNA