Overview: Education Policy Concerning Tibetan Language
In order to fully understand the current state of Tibetan language, historical context of modern Tibet regarding cultural and language policies needs to be mentioned. More often, researchers on this particular subject opt for the “17-Point Agreement” inked between China and Tibet in 1951 as a milestone, since this serves as an initial legal basis upon which legitimacy of future policies are examined. The agreement clearly states that “the spoken and written language and school education of the Tibetan nationality shall be developed step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet” . On top of this, as early as 1949, laws and provisions which guaranteed equal rights for the …show more content…
Record of such policy is date back to as early as 1956 . However, it was not until the 1980s that comprehensive programs were devised. Theoretically speaking, under the bilingual education, the students are allowed to choose between the Chinese track (Hanwen ban) and Tibetan track (Zangwen ban). For example, should the student opt for Tibetan track, Tibetan would be their language of instruction for most subjects while Chinese is taught as the second language only. After six years of basic education in Tibetan track, the student’s Chinese proficiency would be equal to that of a third-grader . In fact, this has always been a recipe of minzu education for not only Tibetan minority but also other ethnic minorities in China. Nevertheless, researches have shown that the reality of bilingual education is bleak, as there are huge variations in education policy in TAR as well as in neighboring Tibetan-populated areas. This is because the local authorities, through either institutional constraints or negligent and discriminatory attitudes, do not necessarily confine themselves to the vision of bilingualism policy. Most of the time, such practice poses a danger to the preservation and advancement of Tibetan language. This particular issue would be further elaborated in later part of this …show more content…
From the news article “Clampdown in Tibetan Schools”, it is obvious that there are fundamentally two institutional problems with the current education policy: firstly the incoherent bilingual education policy with Han-Chinese chauvinism and secondly the manipulation of education as a political tool for patriotic campaign. Nevertheless, it is obvious that education is not the only domain in which the mistreatment of Tibetan language is ubiquitous, as one can discern the similar pattern perpetrated by local authority and non-Tibetans in everyday
In order to fully understand the current state of Tibetan language, historical context of modern Tibet regarding cultural and language policies needs to be mentioned. More often, researchers on this particular subject opt for the “17-Point Agreement” inked between China and Tibet in 1951 as a milestone, since this serves as an initial legal basis upon which legitimacy of future policies are examined. The agreement clearly states that “the spoken and written language and school education of the Tibetan nationality shall be developed step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet” . On top of this, as early as 1949, laws and provisions which guaranteed equal rights for the …show more content…
Record of such policy is date back to as early as 1956 . However, it was not until the 1980s that comprehensive programs were devised. Theoretically speaking, under the bilingual education, the students are allowed to choose between the Chinese track (Hanwen ban) and Tibetan track (Zangwen ban). For example, should the student opt for Tibetan track, Tibetan would be their language of instruction for most subjects while Chinese is taught as the second language only. After six years of basic education in Tibetan track, the student’s Chinese proficiency would be equal to that of a third-grader . In fact, this has always been a recipe of minzu education for not only Tibetan minority but also other ethnic minorities in China. Nevertheless, researches have shown that the reality of bilingual education is bleak, as there are huge variations in education policy in TAR as well as in neighboring Tibetan-populated areas. This is because the local authorities, through either institutional constraints or negligent and discriminatory attitudes, do not necessarily confine themselves to the vision of bilingualism policy. Most of the time, such practice poses a danger to the preservation and advancement of Tibetan language. This particular issue would be further elaborated in later part of this …show more content…
From the news article “Clampdown in Tibetan Schools”, it is obvious that there are fundamentally two institutional problems with the current education policy: firstly the incoherent bilingual education policy with Han-Chinese chauvinism and secondly the manipulation of education as a political tool for patriotic campaign. Nevertheless, it is obvious that education is not the only domain in which the mistreatment of Tibetan language is ubiquitous, as one can discern the similar pattern perpetrated by local authority and non-Tibetans in everyday