Dharamshala, 12th November: The demolition of Gaden Rabten Namgyaling School at Drog Monastery was ordered by Chinese officials in Drog County (Cn: Luhuo), in Karze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in late October 2021. The school was ordered to be demolished within three days by Chinese officials, who claimed that the structures violated local land-use restrictions. The Chinese officials forced the Tibetans at the monastery to destroy the school themselves, threatening that if the deadline was not met, the government would intervene and seize the land.
The Gaden Rabten Namgyaling School, which opened in 2014, seeks to provide a blend of traditional and modern education to Drog Monastery’s young monks. Prior to its forced closure, the school offered a diverse curriculum, including Tibetan language and grammar, Mandarin Chinese, English, Madhyamaka, and other Buddhist beliefs. The school’s young monks(student) were ordered to return home, depriving 130 Tibetans of essential education and cultural-religious experience.
The school’s demolition comes amid a broader campaign of cultural destruction, monitoring, and information censorship in Tibet by Chinese authorities. Those who live near Drog Monastery have been specifically targeted in this manner. According to Tibet Watch sources, the Chinese authorities’ attention on Drog Monastery is likely in response to a series of protests between 2008 and 2012, during which members of the Tibetan community expressed outrage at ruthless and aggressive enforcement.
Chinese authorities have a long history of dismantling Buddhist institutions, monasteries, and training academies. The destruction of residences at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy was documented in a report published by Tibet Watch in 2017. Thousands of Tibetan Buddhists have been displaced by Chinese authorities’ raids and demolitions, with those who resist being evicted fearing detention and incarceration.
Information gathered from freetibet.com
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