Tibetan Government-in-Exile Raises Alarm Over China’s Colonial Boarding Schools
The Tibetan government-in-exile has expressed serious concerns about China’s expansion of colonial boarding schools in Eastern Tibet. Dolma Norzin, the Minister of Information and International Relations, highlighted that these schools aim to assimilate Tibetan children through a process called sinicisation.
Norzin explained, “The colonial boarding school has been in implementation by China in recent years, and the core fundamental intent behind the colonial boarding school is to assimilate the Tibetans inside Tibet through the sinicisation process and in those colonial boarding schools.” She added that Tibetan children are being deprived of the opportunity to stay with their parents and learn their language, leading to a loss of cultural identity.
Further, Norzin revealed that young monks have been forcibly enrolled in these schools. “We recently got to know that, especially in Eastern Tibet, there is a strengthening of this colonial style boarding school, where, as per information in Ngaba Kirti Monastery and two other monasteries in Sichuan Province, over 1700 monks as young as 18 have been forcibly enrolled in all these colonial boarding schools, and the parents of the affected monks who have not consented to join the colonial boarding school some of them have been arrested,” she said.
Norzin also mentioned reports of imprisonment and official threats to revoke public benefits for non-compliant parents. She urged the international community, including governments, the United Nations, human rights organizations, and educational institutions, to intervene immediately to protect cultural diversity and religious freedom. She called upon the PRC government to uphold their international legal obligations and refrain from assimilationist practices in Tibetan areas.
Doubts Revealed
Tibetan Government-in-Exile -: This is a group of Tibetan leaders who live outside Tibet and work to represent the interests of Tibetan people. They are not officially recognized by all countries but act as a government for Tibetans who live in exile.
Colonial Boarding Schools -: These are schools set up by a country to teach children from another region or culture. In this case, China is setting up schools in Tibet to teach Tibetan children in a way that makes them more like Chinese children, which can make them forget their own culture.
Dolma Norzin -: Dolma Norzin is a leader in the Tibetan government-in-exile. She is the Minister of Information and International Relations, which means she helps share information and build relationships with other countries.
Assimilate -: To assimilate means to make someone become similar to others. In this context, it means making Tibetan children adopt Chinese culture and forget their own Tibetan culture.
International Intervention -: This means asking other countries or international organizations to step in and help solve a problem. The Tibetan government-in-exile wants other countries to help protect Tibetan culture and religious freedoms.
