During the past eight years, scientific and technological workers in Tibet have offered training classes to 520,000 local residents, mainly farmers and herdsmen.

During the past eight years, scientific and technological workers in Tibet have offered training classes to 520,000 local residents, mainly farmers and herdsmen.

In Tibet Autonomous Region, farmers and herdsmen account for 80 percent of the total population.

The regional government has organized 2,500 training classes or lectures over the past five years, which were attended by a total 160,000 farmers and herdsmen.

The local science department has compiled eight series of popular science reading materials over the past few years, and distributed 1.96 million copies to rural residents.

Meanwhile, the regional education department has encouraged young students to devote more efforts to the study of science and technology.

Over the past eight years, more than 34,000 students have participated in science extension activities, and 450 of them have won awards in contests at different levels.

(People?s Daily December 25, 2001)