Latest news with #GyalLo
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Chinese colonialism? Beijing forcing 1 mn Tibetan children into boarding schools, erasing cultural identity
At least 100,000 are preschoolers between the ages of 4 and 6, and over 900,000 older children from Tibet have been forcibly placed in Chinese government-run boarding schools read more China is putting Tibetan children in boarding schools where they are denied knowledge of their mother tongue. Image courtesy: Free Tibet More than one million Tibetan children and adolescents have been forcibly placed in Chinese government-run boarding schools across Tibet, where they are subjected to abuse, neglect and political indoctrination, according to a new report released Friday by the Tibetan Action Institute (TAI). Among them, at least 100,000 are preschoolers between the ages of 4 and 6, the report said. Citing interviews with Tibetan parents and fieldwork conducted by researchers, the report accused Chinese authorities of using the boarding school system to carry out what it called 'student colonisation' and erase Tibetan cultural identity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'As the Chinese govt manoeuvres to co-opt the institution of Dalai Lama by interfering in the reincarnation process, it is simultaneously targeting Tibetan children through assimilationist policies that threaten Tibet's survival as a distinct people,' TAI said in a statement. Dr. Gyal Lo, a Tibetan sociologist who contributed to the report, said the initiative is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's strategy to undermine Tibet's 4,700-year-old civilisation. Gyal Lo, who fled Tibet in 2020, said he personally visited more than 50 residential preschools in the Tibetan provinces of Amdo and Kham, estimating that around 100,000 Tibetan children in the preschool age group have been separated from their families and housed in these institutions. In addition, the report estimates that another 900,000 children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 are also being kept in similar residential schools. TAI said the children are prohibited from speaking Tibetan, taught exclusively in Mandarin, and instructed using only government-approved history and ideology. 'In boarding schools, the indoctrination process begins from a very young age. The children are restricted from speaking their mother tongue - Tibetan - taught in Chinese language, forced to learn and speak Chinese and taught only state-approved history,' the report said. The schools also subject children to constant messaging emphasising the centrality of Chinese identity and culture, and loyalty to the Communist Party of China, the report said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The group also highlighted that monks and nuns under the age of 18 have been forcibly transferred to these institutions in recent years, contributing to the Chinese government's broader crackdown on Tibetan religious and cultural life. There was no immediate comment from Chinese authorities on the findings of the report. Beijing has previously denied allegations of cultural repression in Tibet, saying its policies have improved economic development and education access in the region.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
China 'colonising' 1 million Tibet kids in boarding schools: Report
The TAI report recounts statements of parents of some children over how they are constantly subjected to abuse, neglect, indoctrination and 'identity erasure' in a vast network of schools run by Chinese govt in Tibet NEW DELHI: A million Tibet an children and adolescents have been forcibly lodged in Chinese administration-run boarding schools in occupied Tibet, with at least 1 lakh of them being preschoolers in the 4-6 age group, according to a report released here on Friday by the Tibetan Action Institute (TAI). The report recounts statements of parents of some of these children over how they are constantly subjected to abuse, neglect, indoctrination and "identity erasure" in a vast network of boarding schools and preschools run by the Chinese govt in Tibet. "As the Chinese govt manoeuvres to co-opt the institution of Dalai Lama by interfering in the reincarnation process, it is simultaneously targeting Tibetan children through assimilationist policies that threaten Tibet's survival as a distinct people," a TAI statement said. "It's student colonisation," a systematic strategy adopted by Chinese President Xi Jinping to erase the 4,700-year-old culture of Tibet, said Dr Gyal Lo, a Tibetan sociologist who was part of the fieldwork for compiling the report. Gyal Lo fled Tibet in 2020 and is now engaged with the TIA. He estimated that there are at least one lakh preschoolers in the 4-6 age group who have been taken away from their parents from rural parts of Tibet and lodged in boarding schools run by the Chinese administration. In addition, there are around 9 lakh children and adolescents in the 6-18 age group who have been put up in boarding schools. The report also mentions forcible transfer of monks and nuns under 18 to these schools. Gyal Lo, the report said, visited more than 50 boarding preschools in Amdo and Kham provinces of Tibet, coming up with the estimate that at least 100,000 Tibetan children are living in preschool residential institutions across Tibet at present. "In boarding schools, the indoctrination process begins from a very young age. The children are restricted from speaking their mother tongue - Tibetan - taught in Chinese language, forced to learn and speak Chinese and taught only state-approved history," the report stated. It further said students in these boarding schools are exposed to persistent teachings about the centrality of Chinese identity, history, and culture and the importance of Communist Party of China.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Up to 100,000 Tibetan children aged 4 to 6 forced into boarding preschools: Report
New Delhi: Chinese authorities have forced up to 100,000 Tibetan children aged four to six years into a network of colonial boarding preschools, where they face abuse, neglect, indoctrination and identity erasure, according to a new report by a Tibetan think tank. The report shows how the Chinese government is using Tibetan children as a 'means to aggressively and forcibly assimilate Tibetans, threatening their survival as a distinct people.' (HT Photo/ Representative photo) The report by the Tibet Action Institute, drawing on rare first-hand accounts, shows how the Chinese government is using Tibetan children as a 'means to aggressively and forcibly assimilate Tibetans, threatening their survival as a distinct people,' the think tank said on Friday as the report's Hindi version was released in New Delhi as part of events marking the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama. Ahead of the birthday, the Dalai Lama laid down the process for the continuation of the position of spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists after his death, and said only a trust created by him will be responsible for recognising his reincarnation. The remarks angered the Chinese government, which claimed it alone has the authority to approve the successor of the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since he fled Tibet during a Chinese military crackdown in 1959. The Tibet Action Institute revealed in an earlier report in December 2021 that Tibet's education system has become primarily residential, with almost 900,000 Tibetan children aged six to 18 living in government-run boarding schools. 'Subsequent estimates based on fieldwork by a Tibetan educational sociologist additionally suggest that at least 100,000 children aged four to six are also in boarding preschools,' the report said. The report, titled 'When They Came to Take Our Children: China's colonial boarding schools and the future of Tibet', presents evidence of the impact of the schools and other Chinese education policies. 'Students suffer physical and mental abuse, and in some cases, even death. Parents report being unable to easily access their children while they are in the schools,' the Tibet Action Institute said. Children are separated from families at an early age – as young as four in some rural areas – and 'indoctrinated to be loyal to the Chinese Communist Party'. The report said such measures cause emotional and psychological harm, loss of Tibetan language, and alienation from families and communities. Also Read: New report accuses China of 'indoctrinating' Tibetan children in boarding schools Even during school breaks, the Chinese government prevents students from accessing Tibetan language classes or participating in religious activities, the report said. 'China's colonial boarding schools are meant to indoctrinate, not educate Tibetan children,' said education expert Gyal Lo, the Tibet specialist at Tibet Action Institute. 'The testimonies in the report confirm my research and my own family's experience: The Chinese authorities are deliberately taking our children away and disconnecting them from their roots. 'Within a generation our language and culture could be lost, all because the Chinese government sees Tibetan identity as a threat to its control of our nation.' The Tibet Action Institute said the Chinese government has continued to forcibly close Tibetan-run schools and local village schools in recent years. This leaves most parents with no choice but to send their children to live in government-run boarding schools. Also Read: Tibetan govt-in-exile calls for int'l intervention over forcible enrolment of children in colonial boarding schools The children, whose mother tongue is Tibetan, must undergo schooling almost entirely in Chinese. 'Tibetan language materials, imagery or cultural content is purged from the curriculum and the classroom walls, so that children only encounter Chinese identity and culture,' the Tibet Action Institute said. Gyal Lo said China's attempt to 'dictate' the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be seen in parallel with its 'deeply troubling effort to reshape an entire generation of Tibetan children through its colonial boarding school system'. He added, 'These are not isolated policies – they reflect a systematic strategy to erase Tibetan identity, culture and spiritual traditions.' Also Read: Tibetan education conference slams China's 'assimilative' policies BJP MP Sujeet Kumar, who spoke at Friday's launch of the report, said the revelations are 'deeply disturbing and demand urgent global attention'. He added, 'As a democracy rooted in compassion and justice, India stands in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle to preserve their language, culture and identity. No child anywhere in the world should be separated from their family or heritage in the name of assimilation.' Kumar reiterated an assertion recently made by Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu that India shares a border with India, not China. 'We should call it the India-Tibet border,' Kumar said.
