Far west China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has enrolled 8,330 students for inland high schools this year, bringing the total number of Xinjiang students sent to inland high schools to 51,000, local authorities said Friday.

Educational authorities in Xinjiang started sending high school students, especially ethnic Uyghurs, to schools in inland regions in 2000, aiming to give Uyghurs living in the country's remote western regions easier access to quality education and greater opportunities.

Eighty-five schools in 44 inland cities have joined the program, and enrollment has grown from 1,000 students in 2000 to 8,330 this year, said Sun Qi, a government official in Xinjiang.

Sun said 76 percent of the students enrolled this year are children of farmers and herdsmen.

Xinjiang, which accounts for one-sixth of China's total land area, holds rich oil reserves but remains relatively poor.

A similar program has helped 70,000 Tibetan students study at inland middle schools and colleges since 1985.