China
China Closes 3 Tibetan Schools in 3 Months, Threatening Language and Culture
中国当局近期关闭了青海省甘南地区的三所藏族学校，导致学生和教师的未来不明。这一举措引发了对藏语和文化教育未来的担忧，并被视为政府教育政策的一部分，可能限制孩子们学习母语和文化传统的机会。
Chinese authorities have shut down three Tibetan schools in the Golog region of Qinghai province in recent months, leaving the fate of students and teachers unclear, according to sources inside Tibet.
The closures of Gangjong Grassland Girls’ School, Jasag Village Primary School and Golog Tadra Orphan School have raised concerns among Tibetans about the future of education that incorporates their language, cultural traditions and community life.
Tibetan sources who spoke to Radio Free Asia linked the closures to the Chinese government’s education policies and its promotion of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which took effect on July 1, 2026. They said the shutdowns could further limit opportunities for Tibetan children to learn their mother tongue and cultural traditions.
The Chinese government has cited the high altitude of Golog and shortages of teachers and educational resources as reasons for establishing schools outside the region, saying the move would improve education. It remains unclear where students from the three closed schools will continue their studies.
Education department declines to comment
RFA contacted the education department of the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture by phone to seek details about the closures.
“We don’t know the details,” the person told RFA, saying the initial work had been carried out by the Machen County administration and that the county’s education department was responsible for the matter.
RFA also contacted the Machen County Education Department, which said it had “no authority to respond.”
Unclear future for students
Gangjong Grassland Girls’ School in Ragya Township, Machen County, was closed on Aug. 28, according to a source in Tibet who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
The school had about 450 students and 60 teachers at the time of its closure, the source said. The current situation of the students remains unclear.
The source said the school had been made a government-affiliated institution, with its curriculum following the Chinese government’s education system while retaining some Tibetan-language instruction.
“Currently, the schools in the Golog region are conducting a strong patriotic reeducation campaign,” the source said, adding that Tibetans were afraid to share information because of government restrictions.
Jasag Village Primary School, which was established in 1995 with funds raised by local nomadic families and renamed Ragya Township Residential School No. 2 in 2008, was shut down in September, according to information obtained by RFA. Another source in Tibet told RFA that the situation of its students and teachers remained unclear.
“The Golog Education Department has put considerable pressure on the school’s teachers and shut down the school without providing any clear explanation,” the source said.
Golog Tadra Orphanage School was ordered to close this month, according to information obtained by RFA. Founded in 2005, it provided education and support to Tibetan orphans and disadvantaged children for two decades.
At an event marking the school’s 20th anniversary in 2025, principal Thupten Nyima of the Golog Tadra Orphan School, which provides K-12 education, said it was training more than 1,000 students. Some graduates had gone on to work in government positions and as teachers, he said.
Nyima addressed students and teachers in a recent video posted to social media, saying, “Don’t be sad, students and teachers. If we are bound by karma and fate, all the teachers and students gathered here will sing a song of joy together.”
It is unclear if Nyima’s remarks were made around the time the school was ordered to close.
Critics warn of cultural impact
Dr. Gyal Lo, a Tibetan educational sociologist, said the closures marked a significant change in the Chinese government’s education policy in Tibet.
“The Chinese government sees schools where Tibetans can organize themselves to learn and teach their own culture as a thorn in its side. That is why these schools are being abolished,” he told RFA.
“After Xi Jinping visited Qinghai, the school established by Jigme Gyaltsen was closed, and a new secondary school was built in the eastern part of Ziling,” he said.
Gyal Lo said the closures could distance children from Tibetan traditions and customs…
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