Chinese authorities are exerting control on the Tibetans by imposing the Chinese language on Tibetans, forcing them to learn the Chinese dialect – Mandarin. This is a part of their sinicization campaign, where the Tibetan parents, comprising mainly of farmers and nomads, are being forced to learn the Chinese language, reported Phayul. Such an action poses a threat to the Non-Han ethnicity reeling under the Chinese power, to practise their native language.
Schools in Tibet are teaching the students the importance of Chinese Mandarin with concepts of bilingual policy in it. Almost 16 workshops were seen to be held in parts of Tibet, one being at a secondary school in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the months of February and March while another in the Nyima County in Tibet Autonomous Region, reported Phayul. Sources reveal these workshops attended by the Tibetans target “not only to teach Chinese language but also reform (participants) thoughts through Chinese education.”
Further, they added, Tibetan parents teaching their children the Mandarin language will serve “as part of their contribution to the ‘Chinese Dream’.” Reportedly, “Those attending were told about Xi Jinping’s vision for China and were encouraged to spread everything that they had learned when they went back to their villages,” reported Phayul. The Ministry of Education in China also made it compulsory to use the “national common language” last year in June. Earlier, the sinicizing of Tibetan culture by the Chinese government has also led to the closure of several monasteries that taught the Tibetan dialect to their students.