By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, May 14: Tibetan rights groups National Congress, US-Tibet Committee, Students for Free Tibet (SFT), Chushi Gangdruk NYNJ, and other non-governmental organisations on International Mother’s Day held a rally at the New York Chinese Consulate to protest against China’s colonial boarding school system in occupied Tibet which has separated nearly 1 million Tibetan children aged 6 and 18 from their mothers on Saturday. The demonstrators called on the Chinese Communist Party to shut down the state-run colonial boarding schools in occupied Tibet.
Speaking to Phayul, Pema Gyal, a researcher at Tibet Watch explained the difference between boarding schools in occupied Tibet and those in the free world including in the Tibetan exile set up, “The boarding schools in exile set-up differ in many ways than the ones in occupied Tibet. Tibetan children in occupied Tibet are forced into the massive system of colonial boarding schools where they are made to follow strict rules and regulations while Tibetan children studying in the exile boarding school have both freedom and the right to education and language. Through China’s coerced boarding school system, the Chinese party-state intends to brainwash innocent Tibetan children by imposing party propaganda with an eventual aim to destroy everything that makes Tibetans a Tibetan.”
Nyima Woeser, a researcher at Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)echoed similar sentiments, “Under the Chinese colonial boarding school, children as young as 4 to 5 are separated from their parents or family members by reducing contact. Classes in these schools are primarily taught in Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) thus, making it a medium of education in both state and private schools.” “These Chinese boarding schools for Tibetan children across occupied Tibet are designed by the state as a tool of sinicization to persecute Tibetan language and culture,” he further added.
The situation in these colonial boarding schools have also attracted criticisms on other matters as well. Sources highlighted that children in those schools, especially Tibetan girls are subjected to violent sexual assault and constant harassment by the Chinese teachers and staffs.
Many experts have said that the colonial boarding schools are China’s latest genocidal campaign in occupied Tibet and have urged the United Nations expert committee to monitor China’s discriminatory policies and practices adopted against the innocent Tibetan children. As a result, on February 6, 2023, three UN experts warned and expressed their concern at China’s residential school policies in occupied Tibet and stated, “The residential school system by the Chinese government aimed at assimilating Tibetan people culturally, religiously and linguistically.”
3 Responses
Tibetan plight under CCP was made by Tibetan Former High Religious figures and officials. we still suffer because of their actions and their love for the high position and control the tibetan massess by using the faith and religious ideaology. Tibetan people has to think about that and try to sit on the corner and watch it holistically.
I think we should try to know the whole story and try to understand the given situation and circumstances. It is unfair to blame others without knowing how the real things were.
The communist Chinese were very cunning. In the beginning they made lots of promises and distributed Chinese silver coins. Then they tried to instigate the common people against Tibetan officials and rich people and made them responsible for the “injustice” in the old Tibetan society. This kind of propaganda made the Chinese so often over the years that the common Tibetans thought and even now think that what they say is true and are trying to criticize the old system.
Tibetan officials were not paid like officials in the modern countries. They got instead lands from the government for their services and their lands were looked after by the people in the areas. These people had their own lands which officially belonged to the Tibetan government. The manual they had to do for the Tibetan officials was like a tax which they had to pay for their land and other things. The officials had also their own servants or workers who lived practically in the family for whom they worked. Moreover only one family member went to work for the officials and that too in turn with other families. Their work was like taxes which were not paid, but they got food for their work from the family for whom they did the duty. In Tibet one had not to work every day the whole year round. It mostly was field work which only is seasonal.
When we look at the modern countries, every one who earns his living has to pay taxes. No one thinks it is slavery.
The Chinese say that the Tibetan noble families were “serve owners” or they were “feudalists. “99% of the people in Tibet were serves”. They propagated this so many times that not only foreigners, but even the Tibetans thought and still think that that was so.
We must be able to explain the whole things in detail. If one would look for details, then one would know the situation. Of course everybody is certainly not the same every where. Tibetans believe in Buddha’s teachings where love and compassion to all living beings is core teaching that is prevalent in Tibet and that is not so in other countries and certainly not in a communist country.
So, that we lost our country to communist China is not only to blame on the higher people. When I am not mistaken, certain Tibetans had promised to bring Chinese into Tibet, because they themselves faced certain problems with the Tibetan government officials.
There were many dedicated “Kudaks” I know. They were responsible to bring His Holiness the Dalai Lama safe to India and they worked really very hard under His Holiness for our people in India and they have done their best to tell the world the whole situation in Tibet and get help for us.
Anyhow I would like that one tells the whole thing in detail and should not use slogans without proof. That is not fair and that will not help us at all. We should try to say and do things in peace and harmony with all our country sisters and brothers. I think that is the way.
I forgot one thing to say. Yes, you are right that we should try to see and know “holistically” and also be able to tell “holistically”. I am not saying that you are wrong, but I would like that everyone of us must try to explain “holistically” on the subject matter that one has touched.