Authorities in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will extend free education, which used to cover only primary and junior high schools, to all senior high school and secondary vocational school students starting from the autumn semester this year.

More than 40,000 senior high school students and more than 20,000 secondary vocational school students will benefit from the new policy, according to a decision passed at a meeting held by the Tibet regional government Thursday.

All their tuition and miscellaneous fees -- ranging from 620 yuan (97 U.S. dollars) to 1,650 yuan for a student -- will be exempted under the new policy.

The government needs to input more than 40 million yuan a semester to support the new policy, according to the meeting's decision.

According to China's Compulsory Education Law, Chinese children are entitled to nine years of free education, covering primary and junior high schools.

Tibet is the first among the 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland to extend free education to all senior high school and secondary vocational school students.

Previously, a few sub-provincial places had adopted the same policy -- such as Zengcheng City in southern Guangdong Province and Xilin Gol League in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Other regions, including Jiangxi Province, are planning to follow suit.

In addition, authorities in Inner Mongolia announced earlier this year that free education will cover all senior high school and secondary vocational school students in the region within three years.