A senior central government official on Tuesday urged the promotion of education in border regions inhabited by ethnic minorities.

State Councilor Liu Yandong said during her visit to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that the region must prioritize education during its modernization progress.

When meeting with outstanding teachers here, Liu expected local teachers to understand that they bear a great responsibility to foster young people from ethnic minorities.

She expected them to be loyal to their cause and creative in teaching as well as pass on Chinese virtues and traditions.

The local government should improve support to teachers and create a better working environment, she said.

Liu also visited the city culture center and an exhibition on intangible cultural heritages of ethnic minorities.

The country will work harder to protect these cultural heritages and help ethnic minorities to carry them on, she said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2009)