Cadets given Uyghur class in Xinjiang

Xinjiang University has officially started its first Uyghur language training program for its national defense students and officials in the political department of Xinjiang Military Area Command.

The length of the Uyghur language program is a year and a half. The course aims to give participants the language skills necessary to carry out their duties and focuses mainly on developing students' speaking and listening skills, Xinjiang Daily reported Thursday.

By the time participants finish the course, they should be able to converse in basic Uyghur, using 500 job-related sentences and 2,500 common phrases. Zhou Yishan, the deputy director of Xinjiang Military Area Command political department, said the program will help military officers to execute their duties and maintain social order in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region.

The Uyghur people are one of China's largest ethnic minorities. Their language is one of the official languages in Xinjiang.

Xu Jianying, a research fellow with the Research Center for Chinese Borderland History and Geography, said that the program will help officials better communicate with and serve local residents and enhance understanding on both sides.