Four Tibetan Teens Detained for Resisting Transfer to Government Schools, Sources Say
Chinese authorities have reportedly detained four Tibetan teenagers from a Buddhist monastery school after they resisted relocation to government-run institutions. The teenagers, aged 15 to 18, were among hundreds of students affected by the closure of the Lhamo Kirti Monastery school in Sichuan’s Dzoge County, according to local sources who spoke to Radio Free Asia on the condition of anonymity.
The teens had been attending classes taught in Tibetan, focusing on Buddhist teachings, at the now-closed monastery school. However, in July, officials deemed the school unsuitable for minors, citing regulations prohibiting children under 18 from receiving monastic education. The students, totaling nearly 600, were informed they would be transferred to government-run schools where instruction is solely in Mandarin, and students are required to study “Xi Jinping Thought,” an ideological curriculum based on the Chinese president’s policies.
On October 2, four boys who resisted the move were detained and subjected to what authorities called “political re-education” sessions, sources said. They were released after several days but are now mandated to attend a local state school.
For generations, Tibetan children as young as five or six have received their education and religious training in monasteries, where Tibetan is the primary language of instruction. However, in recent years, Chinese policies have compelled young Tibetans to leave monastic schools and attend state-run boarding schools as part of a broader policy aimed at cultural integration, often referred to as “Sinicization.”
Rights organizations and Tibetan advocacy groups have criticized China’s educational reforms, arguing that replacing Tibetan-language instruction with Mandarin is an effort to assimilate Tibetans into Han Chinese culture. According to these groups, children in state-run schools are losing touch with their native language and struggle to communicate with older family members who grew up with Tibetan instruction, raising concerns about the erosion of Tibetan identity and culture.
The Lhamo Kirti Monastery’s closure displaced over 200 students, who were redirected to state schools on the same day as the teens’ detention. Local residents report that students who resist these government directives are accused of harboring “negative influences” from their parents or the monastery. Some have also been subjected to additional political indoctrination sessions.
These recent detentions underscore growing tensions surrounding China’s educational policies in Tibet, as critics continue to raise alarms over the potential loss of a unique Tibetan cultural and linguistic heritage.
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