As schools across Tibet resume classes following the winter holiday, Chinese authorities have intensified their patriotic education campaign, further suppressing Tibetan language and cultural identity. The campaign includes stricter political indoctrination measures and heightened restrictions on Tibetan Buddhism within educational institutions.
Since late February, primary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens, have reopened in most parts of Tibet. Teachers and students are now required to engage in state-mandated political education that reinforces allegiance to the Chinese government. Teachers must submit monthly self-reports to higher authorities confirming they are not imparting religious teachings, while both students and staff are compelled to renounce religious beliefs and practices within school premises. These measures were revealed by two sources inside Tibet who spoke with RFA.
The crackdown extends across multiple Tibetan regions, including Ngaba, Kardze, Malho, Sangchu County, Yak Nga, Dzoge, Kyungchu, Barkham, Dzod, Chabcha County, and Trika County. A source familiar with the situation stated that in primary schools in Kardze and Ngaba, mathematics and science have already transitioned to Chinese-language instruction. The remaining Tibetan language courses in some schools are now being eliminated. Many Tibetan language teachers have reportedly been dismissed under the pretext of failing to meet Chinese language proficiency standards.
Meanwhile, official government announcements confirm that schools in Lhasa and other areas of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region are set to reopen between March 8 and 10, following the Tibetan New Year. Authorities have issued multiple directives concerning security and health inspections in preparation for the reopening.
On February 25, a new directive titled “Two Absolute Prohibitions and Five Strictly Forbidden Items” was issued, further reinforcing bans on religious practices within the education system. The directive explicitly forbids any form of religious promotion in schools, prohibits individuals or organizations from incorporating religious elements into curricula, bars teachers and students from engaging in religious activities, and bans religious symbols or attire on school grounds.
Each year, school reopenings in Tibet are accompanied by heightened government surveillance and control. In 2024, schools in Dartsedo implemented new restrictions preventing parents from entering school premises, while authorities continued to modify curricula without informing families.
The latest push to diminish Tibetan-language education follows years of escalating restrictions aimed at erasing Tibet’s linguistic and cultural identity. In the 2023 fall semester, Tibetan language courses were entirely removed from middle schools in the Kardze region, while Ngaba saw a systematic reduction of Tibetan-medium instruction. Similarly, in the 2022 winter semester, all public schools in counties across Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Amdo (Ch. Qinghai) Province transitioned to Chinese-language instruction, leaving only a single Tibetan language course. This shift extended to all subjects, including mathematics, science, arts, and arithmetic, which are now exclusively taught in Chinese.
