(TibetanReview.net, Apr05’25) – Tibetans have sought to hold the Chinese government on its recently issued white paper claims to demand that the academic study and other uses of their mother tongue be restored. In its white paper on the human rights situation in Tibet released on Mar 28, China claimed that the right to study and use the Tibetan language in public administration is guaranteed.
And now, hundreds of Tibetans have taken to social media to demand that China restore Tibetan language studies in schools, reported the Tibetan service of rfa.org Apr 4.
Amid reports that the teaching of Tibetan language has been sidelined in schools while privately run schools teaching Tibetan language and culture had been forced to shut down, China claimed in its white paper that “the right to study and develop the Tibetan language is also guaranteed in education and in the standardization of important terms.” It also maintained that the Tibetan language is widely used in publishing, media, and daily life.
But critics say not only are these claims untrue, but also that that China has actively moved to suppress the use of the language – which they see as part of a wider plan to eliminate Tibetan cultural identity entirely, the report noted.
The report pointed to the fact that in 2020, for example, Mandarin was made the primary medium of instruction in all the primary and secondary schools in Tibet while China claimed to have introduced bilingual education there.
It also noted that in 2023, China started a Mandarin-only policy for students taking the annual college entrance exam, which put many ethnic minorities including Tibetan children – who were previously allowed to take the test in their native language – at a disadvantage.
Anger over these developments are reported to be reflected in thousands of comments underneath several videos posted on the WeChat social media platform showing Chinese officials discussing the contents of the white paper.
“Language and culture are the most precious wealth in the world…Restore Tibetan language in college entrance exams,” a netizen from Tibet was stated to have posted.
“The Tibetan script and language carries a long and rich history and culture of the Tibetan people,” another post was quoted as saying. “However, at present, Tibetan language is not seen in college entrance examinations and many workplaces do not use Tibetan language.”
Dawa Tsering, Director of the Central Tibetan Administration-run Tibet Policy Institute at Dharamshala, India, has said, “The Chinese government has made sure that the Tibetan language remains practically useless in daily life, whether it is for education or to earn a living.”
The report pointed to China’s closing down in recent times of several highly popular privately-run schools teaching Tibetan language and culture as well as Tibetan vocational training centres under various pretexts for the simple reason that they were at odd with President Xi Jinping’s call for the Sinicization of Tibet. Outside experts have also taken note of this situation. In Dec 2024, three members of the New Delhi-based think tank India Foundation, who went on a government-supervised visit to Tibet’s capital Lhasa said Tibetan now “plays second fiddle” to Mandarin and is treated as second language, with all main signages in Mandarin, the report noted.