Translated by TenGyal
Edited by Yangchen Tso
On July 30, 2024, at 10 am, Tibet Times organized a joint press conference to address the educational crisis in Tibet in the Hall of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archive (LTWA). It was attended by Mr. Tenzin Lekshey, the representative of the Central Tibetan Administration; Mr. Dawa Tsering, the director of Tibet Policy Institute; Ms. Pema Tso, Chief Editor of Tibet Times; and Mr. Tenzin Rabyang, the Managing Director of Tibet Times; along with other researchers and journalists.
Stressing the importance of collective effort and solidarity, the Chief Editor of Tibet Times, Ms. Pema Tso, said, “ Since it has become difficult to effectively solve and combat the crisis of the active destruction and eradication of the Tibetan language and culture by the Chinese government through internal dialogue and discussions among Tibetans, we have collected the signatures of 100 Tibetan intellectuals and academics in exile and professors and doctorate candidates who share the same Tibetan cultural heritage. The signed petition had been submitted to UNESCO, OHCHR, and the China Observation Unit. We intend to submit the petition to the different embassies and the Tibet Support Groups.”
Mr. Dawa Tsering, the director of TPI, asserted, “ As we call ourselves spokespersons of the Tibetan people, we must perform the duties of a spokesperson. I look at the Tibet Times as performing the duty of a spokesperson. Professor Gyal Lo has been able to bring to the attention of the world the forceful assimilation of Tibetan children into Chinese colonial boarding schools. Each organisation needs to perform its duties. In this petition, extensive research has been conducted on the educational institutions in Tibet. The case of Ragya Sherig Norbuling School signals the intention of the Chinese government to shut down all the (Tibetan) schools in Tibet. Not merely the closure of Ragya Sherig Norbuling School or any educational institution; it is symbolic of the continuing policy of the Chinese government to systematically erase the language, religion, culture, and history of the Tibetan people. As such, all Tibetans living in different parts of the world should, not just in name, actively strive to live up to the responsibility of representing the Tibetan people.”
Echoing the same concerns and urgency, the representative of the CTA, Mr. Tenzin Lekshey, stated, “ The Chinese government has not only forcefully closed Ragya Sherig Norbuling School but many other Tibetan schools in Tibet have been forcefully closed down. It is a restrictive policy of eradicating the Tibetan language and culture. Even though it has been more than sixty years since China forcefully invaded Tibet, the Chinese government still lacks the (moral) authority to exercise complete sovereignty over Tibet and its people. As such, the Chinese government continues to massacre Tibetans and destroy the monasteries and, currently, the institutes of intellectual and educational development. On the world stage, the Chinese government strongly pushes the propaganda of the development and progress in Tibet, but this has been unequivocally proved to be false.”
In Press release: Since 2010, the Chinese Communist government has enforced a policy of forced Sinicization of primary and middle school textbooks in Tibet. The situation has worsened each year, with the forced closure of private schools run by Tibetan monasteries and individuals who focus on preserving the unique Tibetan language and culture.
A recent example is the tragic closure of the Gangjong Sherig Norbu Lobling School in Ragya, Tibet, on July 14, despite its efforts to revive and promote Tibetan language and culture. Such oppression and devastation of education in Tibet cause widespread sadness both inside and outside Tibet.
Therefore, Tibet Times reaches out to many Tibetan Professors, PhDs, and Scholars from exile community. Within a short span, we have collected 100 signatures for the petition and sent 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. In this petition, we urged the United Nations to take immediate and decisive action to address.
these critical issues and to preserve the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people inside Tibet.
1. 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.
2. Call for an immediate end to the boarding school system in Tibet.
3. Raise your voice to protect the Tibetan language, culture, and religion and speak out publicly about the human rights situation in Tibet.
4. 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 Child Rights. Urge those responsible for violations to be held accountable.
