China's boarding schools in Tibet threaten civilisation: UN report

A UN report warns China's policies, notably its boarding school system in Tibet, threaten Tibetan civilisation. Exiles state the report confirms their fears about the systematic erasure of Tibetan identity, culture, and language from a young age.

A recent United Nations report has warned that the Chinese government's policies in Tibet are actively undermining the foundations of Tibetan civilisation, posing a serious threat to the survival of Tibetans as a distinct people. The report highlights concerns over the system of boarding schools in Tibet, which it says plays a key role in the erosion of Tibetan identity.

Tibetan Exiles React to UN Report

Reacting to the findings, members of the Tibetan exile community in Dharamshala said the UN report confirms what Tibetans have long been asserting about the situation inside Tibet. The Deputy Director of the Tibet Policy Institute, Tempa Gyaltsen, told ANI that the report reflects the realities in Tibet, particularly regarding the education system imposed by China. "This report of the UN is a confirmation of that truth or that situation which is prevailing in Tibet. Boarding school is one of the specific issues that the Chinese government has put a lot of efforts because they feel that the future of Tibetan identity lies in the hands of the younger generation of Tibetans, so they are trying to synthesise Tibetan children from a very young age," he said.

He added that Tibetan children are being separated from their language, culture, and traditions at a very young age. "This is something we fear is very dangerous, and the UN report clearly agrees with us, and that is the confirmation that the Chinese boarding schools started in Tibet is a systematic erasure of Tibetan identity and the route of Tibetan civilisation," he said.

'Two Distinct Civilisations'

Highlighting the distinct cultural identities of Tibetans and Chinese, he said, "No Chinese will be considered Tibetan, and no Tibetan will be considered Chinese. We may be friends or even family members, but we are fundamentally different. Tibetans have a history as long and as rich as China's, and we remain two distinct civilisations and nations. Attempts to erase Tibetan identity will not succeed."

A 'Crucial' Intervention

Meanwhile, Tenzin Topdhen, Director of the Tibet Museum, said such policies have been ongoing for more than six decades. "The Chinese regime has been doing this for over 60 years, and Tibet is one of the biggest victims. What happened to Tibet could happen elsewhere if the international community does not act now," he told ANI.

Welcoming the UN's intervention, he said the report had come at a crucial time. "Tibet has a heritage that is more than a thousand years old and is now on the brink of extinction. We are grateful to the United Nations and supporters across the world for stepping forward to ensure that such cultural erasure does not happen again anywhere," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)