In a sudden display of Beijing’s ongoing campaign against Tibetan culture and education, Chinese authorities in County, have seized control of the Kirti Monastery School, forcing over 200 students out of 900, aged 6 to 14, to enroll in state-run boarding schools. The remaining students have been sent home and instructed to enroll in state-run schools instead of monastery schools.
The aggressive actions follow the closure of Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery School, which resulted in over 300 students being forcibly relocated to China’s state-run boarding schools. Since May, authorities have prohibited the reopening of both Kirti Monastery School and Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery School, clearly demonstrating a calculated effort to dismantle Tibetan educational autonomy.
A source within Tibet, speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA), revealed that some parents, wary of sending their children to monastery schools due to health concerns, have been deceptively assured by officials that state-run schools would cater to their children’s health and livelihood needs. Yet, these reassurances are underpinned by coercion, as officials have forcibly taken children from their parents under the guise of health check-ups.
On July 8, during the Educational Development Conference held in Bharkham, Ngaba, local officials, including Shu Zhiwen, emphasized the urgent need to reform Ngaba’s education system, advocating for the strategic closure of more monastery schools to boost enrollment in state-run boarding schools. A message circulating on social media reiterated this directive, stressing that Tibetan children aged six and above must comply with compulsory education laws by enrolling in state-run boarding schools. Parents who fail to adhere to these laws, particularly Article 16 of China’s Law on the Protection of Minors, face punitive measures.
Kirti Monastery and Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery School, institutions that have provided classes on Tibetan Buddhism since 1994, have long been targets of Chinese interference. In 2003, the government began undermining these institutions by closing Tibetan Buddhist studies and introducing joint textbooks. This current crackdown is part of Beijing’s broader sinicization of Buddhism initiative, which now includes banning monks from monastery schools and imposing political education during religious events.
