In a recent visit to Tibet University on June 18, Vice Chairman Lang Fukuan of the Tibet Autonomous Region led an investigation into the construction of ideological and political courses. This visit, occurring under the direct influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and General Secretary Xi Jinping, signals a troubling expansion of the strategies used in colonial boarding schools now being applied at the university level. The ideological programming being implemented aims to further erode Tibetan culture and language, posing a grave threat to Tibetan identity and autonomy.
On June 18, Vice Chairman Lang Fukuan and his team visited Tibet University to scrutinize the construction of ideological and political courses. They attended a class themed “Creating New Glory of Socialist Culture” and held discussions with university and middle school leaders and teacher representatives. Lang emphasized the need to deepen the reform of ideological and political courses across the region, advocating for the use of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to shape the minds of Tibetan students.
Lang’s visit to Tibet University is part of a broader CCP strategy to ensure that ideological indoctrination permeates all levels of education in Tibet. By enforcing strict adherence to CCP ideology at the university level, the Chinese government aims to create a cycle of indoctrination where university-trained teachers, now imbued with CCP propaganda, will teach in colonial boarding schools. This systemic approach threatens to eradicate Tibetan culture and language by molding the minds of Tibetan youth to align with Chinese nationalist ideals.
The colonial boarding school system in Tibet, which has systematically replaced local schools with centralized boarding institutions, has already separated thousands of Tibetan children from their families and cultural roots. According to a December 2021 report by the Tibet Action Institute, approximately 800,000 Tibetan children aged six to eighteen are forced into these boarding schools. Here, they are subjected to a highly politicized curriculum taught primarily in Mandarin, designed to instill loyalty to the CCP and suppress Tibetan cultural identity.
The impact of this colonial boarding school system is devastating. Tibetan children are at risk of losing their mother tongue and cultural connections, as classes are conducted in Chinese, and opportunities to practice Tibetan traditions are severely limited. This educational policy aims to create a generation of Tibetans who are culturally and linguistically Chinese, effectively erasing Tibetan identity.
Lang Fukuan’s mission to Tibet University extends these tactics to higher education. By reinforcing CCP ideology at the university level, the Chinese government ensures that future teachers, who will be responsible for educating young Tibetans, are thoroughly indoctrinated. These teachers will then carry out the same assimilationist agenda in primary and secondary schools, perpetuating a cycle of cultural eradication.
This systematic approach is a clear indication of the CCP’s intent to suppress Tibetan culture and identity. The enforced use of Mandarin, coupled with the ideological indoctrination of young Tibetans, aims to assimilate Tibetans into the dominant Han Chinese culture. This not only violates the human rights of Tibetans but also threatens the survival of Tibetan culture and language.
The international community must urgently address these violations and call on China to halt its implementation of such oppressive systems in Tibet. The cultural genocide being perpetrated through educational policies in Tibet is a grave injustice that requires immediate and concerted global action to protect the rights and identity of the Tibetan people.
In conclusion, the recent developments at Tibet University, spearheaded by Vice Chairman Lang Fukuan under the CCP’s directive, represent a dangerous escalation in the Chinese government’s efforts to eradicate Tibetan culture. By extending the strategies used in colonial boarding schools to higher education, the CCP aims to create a continuous cycle of cultural assimilation, threatening the very existence of Tibetan identity. It is imperative that the world recognizes and responds to these oppressive actions to safeguard the cultural heritage and rights of the Tibetan people.
