Beijing forces Tibetan school to provide classroom instruction exclusively in Chinese

Beijing [China] August 27 (ANI): Chinese authorities have threatened to shut down a local school if they fail to provide classroom instruction exclusively in Chinese.

The developments came from the Gyalten School situated in western China’s Sichuan province which is a Tibetan-populated region, Radio Free Asia reported citing sources.

“Yes, I have heard about a notice sent to the school to change its medium of instruction to Chinese,” the source said.

Beginning this school year, the annual entrance exams were all conducted in the Chinese language, the source informed. “If the school refuses to implement the changes, the Chinese government has threatened to shut it down,” he added.

Though the school was founded by a Tibetan lama, it does not operate as a private school. It is registered and administered under the Chinese government and runs like a government school, RFA reported.

The developments came after the Chinese authorities have started to clamp down on private Tibetan schools that offer education in the Tibetan language.

Meanwhile, Beijing has been pushing students to go to government schools where they will be taught entirely in the Chinese language.

In another recent development, the Chinese government has also announced a ban on private tutoring in a bid to lighten the burden on children and parents.

But around 68 percent of the tutoring industry in Shanghai is facilitated in the English language, and this could be a major reason behind Beijing’s move, Radio Free Asia reported. (ANI)