Mariymu Mamat (left) and his classmates learn handicraft-making skills.

Ali Zunu learns Chinese in a village school.

Tianshannet (By Cheng Qian)

Mariymu Mamat is in a race against time.

The girl is about to graduate from a middle school. She now wants to learn as much as possible about handicraft making.

Her school has opened some training courses for students who may have little chance to be admitted by a high school, and Mamat chose handicraft making.

“I want to find a job outside Xinjiang when I graduate. It’s good the school gives us chance to learn working skills before we go to the job market,” she said.

Other than work skills, language is another thing that many schools offer to their students

Ali Zunu is one of the beneficiaries. He now attends a Chinese school in Qayla Village of Jiashi County.

“It’s good we can learn the language without having to go to a faraway school,” he said. The Uygur boy wants to become an anchor for a Chinese language TV program.

Providing vocational and language training to middle and high school students is a pilot initiative by local government in Jiashi County of Kashi. The move aims to help graduates, many of whom wish to work in different places outside Xinjiang, fully prepare for their future jobs.

The practice is expected to go popular in other parts of Xinjiang.