On June 1st, the International Children's Day, over 700 kids in Tibet Experimental Kindergarten were dressed up in festive costumes to celebrate their own festival. [Photo/Xinhua]

On June 1st, the International Children's Day, over 700 kids in Tibet Experimental Kindergarten were dressed up in festive costumes to celebrate their own festival. [Photo/Xinhua]

On June 1st, the International Children's Day, over 700 kids in Tibet Experimental Kindergarten were dressed up in festive costumes to celebrate their own festival.

At 10:30 am, all kids read aloud the "National Anthem Poem" in both Mandarin and Tibetan and watched the flag-raising ceremony. Later, a bilingual show of singing and dancing joined by the kids, their teachers and parents was performed.

"From being not able to speak a word of Chinese to being able to translate freely between Chinese and Tibetan, from standing frozen to performing on stage, the kids have grown a lot. I'm so happy to see this," Said Puzhen, a parent.

The kindergarten was established in 1986 and is one of the first public kindergartens in Tibet. There're 18 classes across three ages, with 719 preschoolers ranging from three-and-half to six-and-half years old. Tibetan children account for 98% of the total enrollment.

According to the director, thanks to the 15-year free education policy, kids have enjoyed free preschool education since the autumn term of 2012. In addition, the kindergarten has also added programs with minority language and culture elements into their daily curriculum.

"I've been at the school for 25 years. The biggest difference I have seen is the change in parents' parenting philosophy. In the past,  they always asked their kid to study more to learn more words. But now,  they give them more time to explore and grow ," Said Dazen, a teacher.

Data shows that in 2016, Tibet has invested 1.09 billion yuan (0.16 billion US dollars) in building and expanding 458 bilingual kindergartens. By the end of 2016, there are 1,028 kindergartens in Tibet, with a total of 96,777 students, and the rate of preschool entrance has increased from 24.5% in 2010 to 66.2%.