The local Chinese authorities in parts of occupied Tibet has banned Tibetan school going kids from attending extra classes provided by the local monasteries during their vacations. In a circular release by the local Chinese authorise in Qinghai’s Nangchen county seeks to stop Tibetan kids from attending classes given by the local Tibetan monasteries.
Qinghai’s Nangchen county has issued an urgent notice that bans the Tibetan children from attending informal classes at local monasteries, According to the Human Rights Watch report on Wednesday, the notice describes the informal classes run by monks as “ideological infiltration among the young,” “dangerous,” and “harmful.”!
The Human Rights Watch called for immediate lift of the ban on the classes at monasteries as those informal classes taught by monks during school holidays have become popular in Tibetan areas, particularly to teach the Tibetan language, which is used progressively less in many government-run schools.
The report while publishing a copy of the notice from Nangchen country, it also revealed similar notices issued by several schools to the parents of the students on earlier occasions. According to the report, the school notices ordered the parents not to allow their children to take part in religious activities or to visit religious places such as monasteries.
The Human Rights Watch, China director has told that the ban imposed on Tibetan children violates a long list of basic rights, from education to cultural life.
“The official ban on informal Tibetan classes taught by monks violates a long list of basic rights, from education to cultural life,” said Sophie Richardson, China director. “Preventing Tibetan children from contact with monks and monasteries will only fuel Tibetan fears that China aims increasingly to restrict Tibetan culture and religion.”
There is a growing concern over the degradation of Tibetan language and culture among the younger generation. Under the policies of China, Tibetans are propelled through a continuous system of Chinese medium dominant environment inside Tibet. The sole reservoir of Tibetan language and culture remains to be the monasteries. If the children are not given access there, it could lead to serious consequences.