Student protests spread

Tibetan student protests that began in Rongwo town, capital of Rebkong County (Chinese: Tongren) on 19 October are spreading across Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures in Eastern Tibet.

The protests are sparked by Chinese educational reforms which stipulate that all subjects will be taught in Chinese and all textbooks will be in Chinese.These reforms have already been implemented in other areas across the Tibet Autonomous Region, including in primary schools.

Read Free Tibet's briefing on education in Tibet

27 October

Tibetan teachers and experts appeal to the government

A letter written on 15 October by over 300 teachers and students was submitted to authorities. It calls for Tibetan to remain the main language of instruction in schools. The letter points out that students in Qinghai come overwhelmingly from nomadic and farmer communities who are unfamiliar with the Chinese language and therefore would not be able to study in the Chinese language.

Read the letter

Radio Free Asia reported that  a group of elderly, retired Tibetans associated with education matters in Qinghai Province sent a letter to the provincial Department of Education on 24 October calling for an independent experts review of  the current language policy. Copies of the appeal letter, written in Mandarin, were sent to various branches of the provincial and central governments and the National People’s Congress, the country's top legislative body.

"We would like to appeal to make sure that the issue of Tibetan language may not be used as a political tool to undermine the harmonious relationship among the nationalities and compromise the security of China" .

"The illegal practice of imparting education to Tibetan students by using only Chinese language should be stopped”.

25 October

Read the AP article on tightened security around schools in Rebkong County on Monday.

24 October

According to Radio Free Asia hundreds of students protested in Chentsa county (Chinese: Jianzha) in Malho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

22 October

It is reported that Tibetans are sending solidarity texts to each other in support of the student protests. The text says: Yesterday, the Ministry of Education decided that, Tibetan language centered education system should be canceled all the schools in Tibetan areas. The Tibetan language above primary school is set as an optional subject. Tibetan students are protesting for their mother- tongue in the Tibetan areas in Qinghai and others.
For the sake of saving the Tibetan mother- tongue, please pass the message to each other.
 

Protests have spread to Beijing where 400 Tibetan university students studying at the Tibetan Studies Department of Minzu University staged a protest on campus at noon.

Photo: High Peaks Pure Earth

Rebkong County

Teachers in all schools in Rebkong County were told to stay at their respective schools throughout the weekend. According to a local  teacher the government is trying to prevent teachers who live in different areas from encouraging parents from supporting the protests.

21 October

The Provincial Secretary of Qinghai Province, Qiang Wei, who chaired a meeting in Xining (capital of Qinghai Province) at the beginning of October where the new policy was announced visited Rebkong on 21 October. He had a meeting withe Malho Prefecture Commitee and told them that the education reforms must be implemented without hesitation. He then returned to Xining.

Tawu town, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP)
On 21 October, from sunrise, Tibetan Middle School students protested against the proposed reforms in Tawu town, the capital of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Chinese: Guolo) in Qinghai province From 2pm armed police monitored the protesters and people have been prevented from going onto the streets of Dawo.

Photo: www.wokar.net

Shopongshi(Chinese: Shuang peng xi) Township , Rebkong county, Malho TAP
On 21 October 8am about 500 middle school students from Gedun Cheopel Middle School (aged 12-14)  marched to Shonpongshi township government building and protested in front of the building. Then the students attempted to march to the capital of Rebkong County but about 8km away were stopped at the gate of Tongren County Aluminum Manufactory by the Governor of Rebkong County and the Director of Rebkong County Education Department around  midday.

20 October

Chabcha town, Tsolho TAP
An estimated 2,000 students from four schools in Chabcha town, Chabcha county Tsolho (Chinese: Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture protested in the streets of Chabcha on Wednesday 20 October. Students from the Tsolho Tibetan Teacher Training School had been held back from protesting by police and teachers on 19 October, but on 20 October they protested and were joined by up to 2,000 students from three other local schools from the early morning (8-9am).

They marched to the prefectural government building chanting “We want back freedom for Tibetan language”.

 

Tsigorthang County, Tsolho TAP
Students from Tibetan Middle School also demonstrated in Tsigorthang County (Chinese: Xinghai), Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai on 20 October.

Protests in Rebkong - 19 October

Approximatly six thousand Tibetan students from six Tibetan schools aged 14-20 took to the streets from on Tuesday 19 October, chanting “we want equality of culture” in Rongwo town, Rebkong County (Chinese: Tongren), in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Malho (Chinese: Huangnan). Eyewitnesses report that at least four thousand students took part.

The protests were sparked by Chinese educational reforms in Rebkong which stipulate that all subjects will be taught in Chinese and all textbooks will be in Chinese except for Tibetan language and English classes. These reforms have already been implemented in other areas across the Tibet Autonomous Region, including in primary schools. The use of Tibetan is being systematically wiped out as part of China’s strategy to cement its occupation of Tibet.

Students from the National Senior Middle School of Rebkong County marched through Rebkong from 7am and were joined by more and more students from other schools including the National Middle School of Rebkong, Teachers’ School of Malho, Medical School of Malho, Rebkong Yifu Middle School and the Boarding School of Rebkong County. The students then gathered outside the People’s Government Building in Rebkong. The police did not interfere with the protests. 

In the evening the Governor and the Director General of the Education Department of Malho Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture visited the Teachers’ School of Malho Prefecture and gave assurances to about 15 selected students that they will not change the current Tibetan language education in the schools in Malho County while they are in office.

However, they warned the students that if protests continue the 'ringleaders' would be expelled.

On 20 October classes resumed in all six schools.

A former middle school teacher in Rebkong said: “The Chinese are enforcing reforms which remind me of the Cultural Revolution. This reform is not only a threat to our mother-tongue, but is in direct violation of the Chinese constitution which is meant to protect our rights. For Tibetans the Chinese constitution is meaningless.”

Tibetans fear their mother tongue will become extinct if the current policies continue. As secondary education is taught exclusively in Mandarin and entrance exams to universities are in Chinese Tibetans are in a highly disadvantaged position to get further education than their Chinese class mates which in turn perpetuates poverty among Tibetans.

Read Free Tibet's briefing about the threat to the survival of the Tibetan language.
Read more on education in Tibet

 

 

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