Flourishing Development of Modern Education(1959-1965)
In 1959, when an armed rebellion launched by separatists in the upper echelon of Tibetan ruling class was crushed, Democratic Reform was launched to uproot feudal serfdom. Serfs and slaves gained their freedom and were given farmland and domestic animals. These changes greatly aroused people's enthusiasm for education. As the existing schools could no longer meet the growing demand, the Preparatory Committee for the Founding of the Tibetan Autonomous Region reopened the public schools suspended in 1957 and worked out the principle to encourage the development mainly of non-governmental schools while running public schools and subsidizing those run by the collective. The Tibetans were encouraged to run schools with funds they had raised. In 1965, when the Tibetan Autonomous Region was founded, Tibet boasted 87 public primary schools, and 1,735 non-governmental schools, with 66,781 pupils in total; four middle schools with enrollment of 1,059; one secondary teacher's school-the Lhasa Teacher's School; and Tibet's first institution of higher learning-the Tibetan Nationality College. Besides, there were nine nurseries and kindergartens with 700 children.

Under the government principle to steadily develop Tibetan education, unprecedented achievements were made. A basic education system-composed of kindergartens, primary and middle schools, technical secondary schools, colleges and universities, adult colleges and local-cadre training courses- took its initial shape.