Almost 30 years have passed since girls from a Yao ethnic group in southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were allowed to attend school for the first time. A group of pictures taken on Wednesday show the school lives of girls who belong to the “Red Yao Girls’ Class.” /Chinanews Photo

Local authorities from Rongshui Miao Autonomous County of Liuzhou City founded the “Red Yao Girls’ Class” in 1988, exempting them from all school fees. /Chinanews Photo

As an old saying from the tribe goes, “Dogs don’t plough, while girls don’t receive education.” Education for girls used to be restricted in the ethnic minority area. However, girls are now allowed to attend school just like most of their peers in China. /Chinanews Photo

For decades, great progress in education has been made in the ethnic-minority-inhabited areas in China. But there are still millions of children who drop out before reaching middle school. /Chinanews Photo