Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 19: Chinese authorities forcibly closed the Tadra Orphan School in Tawu Village, Machen (Chinese: Maqin) County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, on September 2, ending the operations of an institution that provided shelter and education to hundreds of Tibetan children from vulnerable family backgrounds, according to information obtained by Phayul from a member of the Sino-Tibet dialogue platform Lhasa Spring, who requested anonymity due to security concerns.
The school was established in 2005 with funding from the late Dr. Tawu Lobsang Palden and his wife, who were based in Germany. It provided a home and education to more than 300 children who were orphans or came from single-parent families, the source told Phayul.
The institution operated nine classes, covering Grades 1 through 8, along with a class offering thangka painting and sewing instruction. It employed 20 full-time teachers who provided academic education and vocational training, combining formal schooling with traditional Tibetan cultural and practical skills.
The source said they were still trying to gather further information from contacts inside Tibet but had been unable to obtain additional details. Heavy surveillance of telephone and internet communications, coupled with restrictions on information flows from occupied Tibet under Chinese colonial rule, has made it increasingly difficult to verify developments in the region independently.
The closure comes amid broader concerns over the continued shutdown of privately run Tibetan schools and the expansion of state-controlled education across Tibetan areas. Critics argue that transferring Tibetan children into state-run schools risks accelerating cultural and linguistic assimilation by placing them in educational environments where Chinese language and state-directed political education take precedence over Tibetan language and identity.
The source also linked the school to Daughter of the Light, a documentary directed by Tibetan filmmaker Khashem Gyal. The film follows 13-year-old Metok Karpo, who lives with her maternal grandparents and attends a Tibetan boarding school for orphans despite her parents being alive but separated.
The documentary explores childhood, family separation, and the social changes affecting Tibetan communities. According to the filmmaker, he and his team spent two years living and teaching at the orphan school while making the film.
The closure of Tadra Orphan School follows the shutdown of Ragya Gangjong Prairie Girls’ School on August 27, 2026, in the same region. The school provided modern and traditional education to girls from nomadic communities in Golog, in the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo, Qinghai.
