Dharamshala — Chinese government is systematically eliminating Tibetan identity by arresting educated Tibetans, translating Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan textbooks into Chinese, banning the publication of Tibetan books, forcefully shutting down Tibetan schools, forced Tibetan children into Chinese boarding schools. Therefore, Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile are extremely worried by China's Sinicisation policy in Tibet, and 100 educated Tibetans in exile sent an appeal to the UN and urge it to call on China to end the forced closure of Tibetan schools.
Chinese government is engaged in a systematic effort to eradicate the Tibetan identity through a series of actions, including the arrest of Tibetan teachers, writers and respected lamas, the translating of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan textbooks into Chinese, the prohibition of the publication of Tibetan books, the forcible closure of Tibetan schools, the compulsory enrolment of Tibetan children in Chinese boarding schools, and the imposition of Chinese language and culture upon them.
Therefore, both Tibetans in Tibet and abroad are profoundly concerned about China's policy of Sinicisation in Tibet. A collective of 100 educated Tibetans in exile has issued an appeal to the United Nations and urge them to address critical condition of Tibetan language, culture and children in Tibet and call on Chinese government to immediately to cease the forced closure of Tibetan schools and Chinese boarding schools in Tibet.
Since Xi Jinping came to power, the Chinese government's policy in Tibet has worsened. Xi Jinping's aim is to transform all peoples into Chinese nationals, and foster allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party. Consequently, the Chinese government has implemented a policy of Sinicisation and assimilation policy in Tibet, which have resulted in the eradication of Tibetan culture, language, customs and religion.
In recent years, the Chinese government has increased the number of arrests of Tibetan writers, scholars, and influencers, despite the absence of any criminal conviction. These individuals have been imprisoned as a consequence of their activism and the exercise of their right to freedom of expression. An example, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was imprisoned for establishing Tibetan school for nomadic Tibetan children and orphans. Similarly, writers Go Sherab Gyatso and Gendun Lhundup were incarcerated as a consequence of their written works and activism.
The Chinese government forcibly shutdown Tibetan private and monastic educational institutions in the three Provinces of Tibet such as Tenzin Delek Repoche’s School in Nyagchu County, Kham, Eastern Tibet, Sengdruk Taktse Middle School in Golok, in 2021, six Primary schools in Sershul County including Gemang primary school, Bumser primary school, Troshul primary school, Asey primary School, Phendey Chekyong primary school, and Warong primary school in 2022 and the latest one is Gangjong Sherig Norbu School (Lobling) in Ragya, Golok in 2024.
The Tibetan language is the soul and the foundation of Tibetan culture, religion and identity. The eradication of the Tibetan language means the vanishment of a unique and peaceful Tibetan culture and religion. This is Chinese colonial policy aimed at eliminating the Tibetan ethnic from history.
Tibetan people are deeply concerned about the fate of future of the Tibetan language, the education of Tibetan children in Chinese boarding schools, and the recent closure of the Gangjong Sherig Norbu School (the Jigme Gyaltsen Vocational School). Therefore, Tibet Times, a news agency based in Dharamshala initiated a petition about the critical condition of Tibetan language and shut down the Gangjong Sherig Norbu School, which signed by 100 Tibetan Professors, PhDs and Scholars from exile community in India, USA, Australia, Nepal and other several countries and sent the petition to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (copy to China Desk, Special Rapporteur on Minority issues and Special Rapporteur on the right to education) on July 29, 2024.
The agency also organised a conference to express its solidarity with Gangjong Sherig Norbu Lobling (Ragya School), which was recently forcibly closed down by China. Dawa Tsering, Director of the Tibet Policy Institution, CTA, Tenzin Lekshay, Spokesperson of the CTA, Pema Tso, Editor-in-Chief of the Tibet Times, Tenzin Rabyang, Director of the Tibet Times, delivered speeches on the Chinese government's policy of assimilation in Tibet and the forced closure of Tibetan schools, in the lobby of the Tibetan Works and Archives Library, Gangkyi, Dharamshala, HP, India, on July 30, 2024.
Pema Tso introduced about the petition and Tibetans should something for the benefited school shutdown by China. She read out the four demands of the petition to UN and China as follow:
• Urge for an end to forced school closures and ensure restoration; protect private and monastic schools for their continued existence throughout Tibet and enable the immediate reopening of all forcibly closed schools.
• Call for an immediate end of the boarding school system in Tibet.
• Raise your voice to protect the Tibetan language, culture and religion and speak out publicly on the human rights situation in Tibet.
• Press for accountability and urge the Chinese government to comply with international education rights standards, as China has ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Urge those responsible for violations to be held accountable.
She also said that although Ragya School has been threatened with closure in recent years, the founder of the school, Ven Jigme Gyaltsen, wrote a note of good news in June 2024. But, when I heard about the sudden closure of the school on July 14, 2024, I hardly believe it. The situation of Tibetan children and the Tibetan language is critical, we should do something about it, as we have sent a petition to the UN, when we work together we can achieve something, so it is important to work together and fight against the elimination of the Tibetan language and culture by the Chinese authorities.
Dawa Tsering said, “the closure of Ragya School is not just the closure of a school, but also the closure of Tibetan culture, religion and language. This clearly shows that the Chinese government is implementing a policy of eliminating Tibetan culture, religion, language and identity.”
Tenzin Lekshay said: “We should know the reasons for the closure of the Ragya school. Over the past six decades, although China has physically occupied Tibet, it has not been able to fully control Tibetans inside Tibet. The Chinese government has destroyed Tibetan monasteries and killed thousands of Tibetans in the past, but today it is closing schools and destroying educational institutions to destroy Tibetan youth, the seed of Tibet. The Chinese government claims that Tibet is developed and that everyone is happy in Tibet, but the closure of the Ragya School shows that all this propaganda is a lie. We therefore urge the United Nations and the international community to pay attention to the critical situation in Tibet and to call on China to stop forcibly closing Tibetan schools.”
