Lhasa: China has established an extensive network of boarding schools in Tibet, where Tibetan children are reportedly forced to enroll, sparking widespread concern about the erosion of Tibetan culture and identity. These state-run institutions, where education is predominantly conducted in Mandarin, separate children from their families and have been criticized as tools of assimilation under President Xi Jinping’s government. Critics argue that the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) uses these schools to undermine Tibetan culture and preempt any potential threats to its control over the region.

A recent case highlights these concerns, with reports surfacing that more than 200 students from the Lhamo Kirti Monastery school in Dzoge county were forcibly moved to state-controlled boarding schools. This came after Chinese authorities prohibited the reopening of the monastery school in May 2024, and in July, parents of over 300 students, aged 6 to 14, were pressured into signing documents confirming their children's enrollment in these institutions. In total, around 500 students have been affected, with another 200 older students, aged 15 to 18, also being forcibly enrolled.

According to a 2021 report by the Tibet Action Institute (TAI), the forced enrollment of Tibetan children into these boarding schools has severe psychological and emotional effects on the students and their families. The report warns that China’s strategy of assimilating Tibetan children threatens the long-term survival of Tibetan language, culture, and religious traditions.

Erosion of Tibetan Culture Through Education
These boarding schools have drawn criticism for emphasizing Mandarin instruction and "patriotic education" while diminishing the teaching of the Tibetan language and Buddhism, both of which are central to Tibetan identity. The CPC has closed many private and village schools that taught Tibetan and replaced them with boarding schools, leaving families with no alternative but to comply. The result is that approximately 78% of Tibetan children, totaling 800,000, are now in these state-run institutions, according to the TAI report.

Observers argue that this education system is designed to strip Tibetan youth of their cultural heritage, a move that echoes China’s treatment of other ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. While the re-education camps for Uyghurs have drawn international condemnation, the boarding schools in Tibet are seen as part of a broader campaign to integrate Tibetans into Chinese Han society by erasing their distinct identity.

Global Concerns and Human Rights Implications
The United Nations and human rights groups have raised alarms about the scope of these boarding schools. In February 2023, UN experts reported that around one million Tibetan children are being educated in these residential schools, where they are exposed to an education system heavily influenced by Han Chinese culture. These concerns are compounded by the fact that while a significant majority of Tibetan children are forced into boarding schools, the rate of enrollment for Chinese students in rural areas is much lower, raising concerns about ethnic discrimination.

The closure of the Lhamo Kirti Monastery school is symbolic of China's broader efforts to curb the influence of Tibetan religious and cultural institutions. Established in 1986, the school initially served monks at the monastery and expanded to teach Tibetan language and culture. However, Chinese government interference began almost immediately, leading to intensified restrictions and eventual closure.

Parallels with Uyghur Re-Education Camps
The situation in Tibet bears striking similarities to the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, where over a million people have been detained in "re-education" camps. While the Tibetan boarding schools are formally educational institutions, critics argue that they serve a similar function by indoctrinating Tibetan children and suppressing their cultural identity.

Parents in Tibet have little choice but to send their children to these schools, where the medium of instruction is Mandarin, and students risk losing their connection to their mother tongue, religion, and community. Eyewitness accounts and interviews conducted by TAI reveal that authorities use coercion and threats to ensure compliance, further highlighting the repressive nature of China’s educational policies in Tibet.

As China continues its assimilationist agenda in Tibet, the international community remains largely powerless to intervene. Human rights advocates warn that the erasure of Tibetan identity is well underway, with the world watching but unable to stop it.