Before liberation in 1951, Shannan had no school, to say nothing of modern and formal educational facilities. Even the three-estate holders and their children and agents had to receive traditional education through monasteries, which focused mainly on religious ethics. Under the rule of the lay and religious administration in old Tibet, the three-estate holders practiced anti-reform policies to maintain reactionary rule. The great majority of working people had no chance to receive an education, so the illiterate rate among farmers and herders was as high as 90 percent.

After liberation I n1951, the educational undertakings in Shannan developed rapidly. In 1956, the first primary school was wet up in Nedong County. Therefore, modern education in Shannan Prefecture made a first historic step. Through 40 years of efforts, the whole prefecture has formed an educational system with national characteristics, including kindergarten, primary school, middle school, secondary teachers school and secondary vocational school. Fundamental changes have taken place in education.

In 1997, Shannan had one secondary teachers training school with 410 students; one secondary vocational school with 15o students and 15 ordinary middle schools with 6,120 students. There are 595 ordinary primary schools with 6,120 students. There are 595 ordinary primary schools with 38,606 pupils. The entrance rate of school age children reached 86.1 percent. Beginning from 1985, some 200 students are selected every year to study in the inland Tibetan classes.

At present, various kinds of public-run schools at all levels have 2,069 teachers and staff, most of whom are Tibetans. There are 1,856 full-time teachers, accounting for 89.7 percent of the total. Some 1,182 teachers have a qualified record of formal schooling, making up 57.1 percent. This is a striking contrast with the situation of education in 1959 at the beginning of the democratic reforms.

Since 1984, educational departments at various levels have energetically carried out adult education. Night schools, continued education classes, literacy classes and technical training classes have been set up in most villages. Now the literacy rate in the prefecture is 654 percent, a 60 percentage point rise since 1959.

Shannan pays great attention to the teaching work involving the Tibetan language. Governments and educational administrative departments at all levels request that all middle and primary schools must provide Tibetan language classes and pay due attention to the use and teaching of languages of the ethnic minorities. At the same time, efforts have been made to change 595 local schools in boarder areas into provincial or regional schools, thus reducing the burden on locals, and raising the enthusiasm of remote-area teachers and promoting the development of boarder area educational undertakings.

The present achievements made by Shannan in education are due in part to the support of the Central Government and the people of the whole country. Investment in Shannan from the State and inland provinces totaled 213.8 million yuan from 1979 to 1995. In the eight years from 1990 to 1997, educational funding increased at a rate of 6 percent annually.