100 Tibetan Scholars Urge UN to Halt School Closures and Cultural Assimilation in Tibet
In a significant move to protect their cultural identity, 100 Tibetan scholars, including professors, scientists, and doctoral students in exile, have submitted a petition to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. This petition calls for an end to China’s enforced school closures and cultural assimilation policies in Tibet.
The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), which advocates for the rights of the Tibetan people, welcomed the petition. They emphasized the urgent need to address China’s assimilation policy, which includes closing Tibetan monastic and public schools and replacing Tibetan language and cultural education with Mandarin-based curricula. The ICT has expressed its support for the scholars’ demands, underscoring the importance of preserving Tibetan language and culture in educational institutions.
The Plight of Tibetan Schools
The petition highlights the ongoing closure of Tibetan schools as a part of China’s broader strategy to suppress Tibetan culture. One notable example is the recent shutdown of the Gangjong Sherig Norbu Lobling School in Ragya in July 2024. This school, established in 1994, was the first private Tibetan school in Qinghai Province and was known for promoting Tibetan language and culture. Its closure is seen as part of a systematic effort by Chinese authorities to erase Tibetan cultural identity.
Since 2010, the Chinese government has mandated that all schools in Tibet use Chinese as the primary language of instruction, starting from kindergarten. This policy, known as “bilingual education,” has been criticized for undermining the Tibetan education system and promoting Chinese cultural and political indoctrination. Many Tibetan children are separated from their families and communities, attending boarding schools where they are further distanced from their language, culture, and traditions.
A Call for Action
The scholars’ petition to the UN calls for immediate action to protect Tibetan cultural and educational rights. The petitioners urge the UN to:
- End forced school closures and restore private and monastic schools in Tibet.
- Abolish the boarding school system that separates Tibetan children from their families.
- Publicly speak out on the human rights situation in Tibet and protect Tibetan language, culture, and religion.
- Hold the Chinese government accountable for violating international education rights standards, including those set by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The petition, which has been signed by scholars and supporters of Tibetan culture worldwide, reflects a growing concern about the cultural erosion in Tibet. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has received an unredacted version of the petition, although the names of the signatories have been withheld for security reasons.
International Response and Ongoing Advocacy
Human rights organizations have been monitoring these developments with increasing alarm. The closure of the Norbu Lobling School is not an isolated incident; since 2021, half of the private Tibetan schools in the Golog region have been shut down, with the remaining schools facing threats of closure under various pretexts by Chinese authorities.
The ICT and other advocacy groups are calling on the international community to press China to comply with its obligations under international law and to protect the cultural and educational rights of the Tibetan people. They argue that preserving the Tibetan language and culture is not only a matter of human rights but also an essential contribution to global cultural diversity.
As the situation in Tibet remains dire, the petition by Tibetan scholars is a crucial step towards raising international awareness and advocating for the preservation of Tibetan culture and identity. The global community is now watching to see how the UN and other international bodies respond to these urgent appeals for intervention.
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