NBC:
Last March, Xinjiang autonomous region government chairman Shohrat Zakir said, and I quote, "Generally speaking, we will have fewer and fewer people of these training centers. If one day the society no longer needs, then these training centers will gradually disappear." My question is: Is there any estimate of how many people are still in these training centers, and when they would likely begin to disappear? Thank you.
Shohrat Zakir:
Let me answer this question. Based on the grim situation of violent terrorist activities in Xinjiang, we set up the vocational education and training centers to carry out vocational skills education and training. The number of individuals participating in vocational skills education and training is dynamic, some come in and some go out. Some overseas media outlets claimed there were "a million or even 2 million" trainees in Xinjiang vocational education and training centers. Such claims are purely fabricated and unfounded. At present, all the trainees, who have participated in the education and training centers that integrate "the learning of standard Chinese language, laws and skills as well as de-radicalization," have completed their studies. With the help of the government, they steadily obtain employment, improve their quality of life, and live a happy life.
Practice proves the establishment of the vocational education and training centers is a useful exploration for Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to carry out the fight against terrorism and the work of de-radicalization in accordance with the law. As the next step, in order to meet the desires of grassroots cadres and the masses to improve their personal qualities, we will continue to provide daily, routine, normalized, and open education and training to village cadres, rural CPC Party members, farmers, herdsmen, and unemployed graduates from junior or senior high schools who are willing and have a demonstrable need, as we follow the principles of respecting individual will, allowing them to make an independent choice, categorizing the training on offer, and offering freedom to come and go. We will focus on educating and training them in speaking and writing standard Chinese language, knowledge about the laws, vocational skills, etc. Depending on the training contents, the training time can be either long or short. Thank you.
