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Dawa Tashi
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According to the latest information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), Chinese authorities have forcibly closed at least three private Tibetan schools in the Golok (Ch: Guoluo) region of Amdo over the past three months. The schools are the Golok Tadrak Orphan School, the Ra-Gya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland (Tsathang) Girls’ School, and a community-funded village school in Jasag village. Authorities ordered the closures between August and September 2026, depriving Tibetan children of educational institutions that placed their language, culture, and community traditions at the centre of learning.
The latest closures follow years of mounting pressure on independent and privately run Tibetan schools and reinforce concerns that Chinese authorities are systematically eliminating educational alternatives outside the state-controlled school system. TCHRD warned of this trend in its 2022 thematic report, Tibetan Language and Education Rights Under Xi Jinping, which documented the growing vulnerability of private, community-funded, and monastic-affiliated schools to government restrictions.
On 2 September 2026, Chinese authorities shut down the Golok Tadrak Orphan School in Dawu village, Machen (Ch: Maqen) County, Golok. Founded in 2005 with financial support from the late Dr. Tawu Lobsang Palden and his wife, the school provided care and education to orphans and children from disadvantaged or broken families. At the time of closing, there was an estimated 300 children studying at the school.
The closure followed an order issued on 27 August 2026 to shut down the Ra-Gya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland Girls’ School, also in Machen County. Established on 15 October 2005 by the Tibetan monk and educator Jigme Gyaltsen, the school aimed to expand educational opportunities for girls from nomadic communities.
The school provided academic and vocational instruction in Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, science, traditional medicine, astrology, handicrafts, and thangka painting. It enrolled students from Ü-Tsang, Kham, and Amdo, the three traditional regions of Tibet, and became known for providing educational opportunities to girls from nomadic communities.
Students of Golok Tadrak Orphan School
In August 2026, authorities also ordered the closure of a primary school established and funded by residents of Jasag village, in Ra-Gya township, Machen County.
According to local sources, officials instructed the school to stop teaching in Tibetan and instead use Simplified Chinese, citing the national policy promoting Putonghua, or standard spoken Chinese, as the common national language. When the school refused to abandon Tibetan-language instruction, authorities reportedly ordered its immediate closure and directed students to attend government-run boarding schools.
The reported closure comes amid changes to China’s national language legislation. On 27 December 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted revisions to the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, originally enacted in 2000. The revised law took effect on 1 January 2026. Among other changes, it removed a provision allowing exceptions to the general requirement that standard Chinese be used as the basic language of instruction in schools.
Rather than supporting meaningful bilingual education, restrictions on Tibetan-medium instruction leave families with fewer opportunities to ensure that their children develop literacy and academic skills in their mother tongue.
The transfer of students to government-run boarding schools also raises concerns about children’s ability to maintain regular contact with their families and communities and continue learning their language, history, and cultural traditions.
Primary school in Jasag village
In August 2026, a European journalist based in Beijing reportedly attempted to visit Golok but encountered obstacles imposed by local authorities. According to the journalist, police said officials did not want outsiders visiting the area because such visits could harm its “image or reputation.” The officers reportedly cited the sensitivity of religious and cultural practices as a reason for restricting access.
The latest closures underscore warnings raised by TCHRD in its May 2022 thematic report, Tibetan Language and Education Rights Under Xi Jinping. The report documented how independent Tibetan educational institutions had increasingly come under state scrutiny and administrative pressure as Chinese authorities intensified policies promoting Mandarin Chinese in education.
TCHRD’s findings highlighted the vulnerability of private, community-funded, and monastic-affiliated schools that sought to preserve Tibetan language and culture outside the state-controlled education system. The report documented the closure of Sengdruk Taktse Middle School in Golok in 2021 and examined the wider pattern of restrictions affecting Tibetan-language education.
At the time, TCHRD warned that independent schools were increasingly threatened by regulatory measures and policies restricting their ability to operate autonomously. Developments since the report’s publication indicate that these concerns have become even more urgent.
According to information received by TCHRD, most independent Tibetan schools in the Golok region have been closed over the past four years. These include Sengdruk Taktse Middle School, Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational School, and Dorje Ten National Vocational and Technical School.
The latest closures of the Golok Tadrak Orphan School, the Ra-Gya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland Girls’ School, and the Jasag village school further demonstrate the shrinking space for independent Tibetan-language education.
The progression from administrative pressure and scrutiny to the closure of entire institutions has far-reaching consequences for Tibetan children, educators, and communities. As independent schools disappear, Tibetan families face increasingly limited opportunities to choose education that prioritizes their language, cultural heritage, and community traditions.
The forced closure of Tibetan schools and restrictions on mother-tongue education raise serious concerns about China’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which China ratified in 1992.
Article 29 of the CRC requires education to promote respect for children’s cultural identity, language, and values. Article 30 protects the right of children belonging to ethnic, religious, or linguistic minorities to enjoy their culture and use their own language.
Policies that force Tibetan schools to close because they provide education in Tibetan risk undermining these protections and depriving children of meaningful opportunities to learn in their mother tongue.
China’s upcoming review by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child presents an important opportunity to scrutinize the government’s education policies in Tibetan areas. The Committee should examine the closure of independent Tibetan schools, restrictions on Tibetan-language instruction, and the consequences for children transferred to government-run boarding schools.
The Committee should seek detailed information from Chinese authorities about the legal grounds for closing these institutions, the availability of quality Tibetan-medium education, and the safeguards in place to protect Tibetan children’s linguistic, cultural, and educational rights. It should urge the government to end discriminatory restrictions on Tibetan-language education and ensure that children can learn in an environment that respects their cultural identity.
The international community should use China’s upcoming CRC review to press the Chinese government to immediately cease the forced closure of Tibetan schools and end restrictions that prevent children from receiving education in their mother tongue. Governments, UN experts, and international human rights organizations should raise these concerns directly with Chinese authorities and demand concrete measures to protect Tibetan children’s educational, linguistic, and cultural rights.
The Chinese government should not be permitted to use “national unity” or “educational standardization” to justify policies that undermine Tibetan children’s linguistic and cultural heritage. The UN review process should provide an opportunity for the Committee and the wider international community to demand accountability and ensure that Tibetan families are not forced to choose between formal education and preserving their children’s cultural identity.
TCHRD urges the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, governments, and international human rights organizations to raise the issue of Tibetan school closures during China’s upcoming review and press for effective safeguards against further restrictions on mother-tongue education.
The closure of schools serving orphans, nomadic girls, and local communities threatens more than access to education. It weakens the institutions through which Tibetan language, knowledge, and cultural traditions are passed from one generation to the next.
Tibetan children should not have to abandon their mother tongue or cultural identity to obtain an education. The Chinese government must end policies that force independent Tibetan schools to close and respect the right of Tibetan children to learn, develop, and preserve their cultural heritage.
The latest closures follow years of mounting pressure on independent and privately run Tibetan schools and reinforce concerns that Chinese authorities are systematically eliminating educational alternatives outside the state-controlled school system. TCHRD warned of this trend in its 2022 thematic report, Tibetan Language and Education Rights Under Xi Jinping, which documented the growing vulnerability of private, community-funded, and monastic-affiliated schools to government restrictions.
Schools Serving Orphans and Nomadic Girls Forced to Close
On 2 September 2026, Chinese authorities shut down the Golok Tadrak Orphan School in Dawu village, Machen (Ch: Maqen) County, Golok. Founded in 2005 with financial support from the late Dr. Tawu Lobsang Palden and his wife, the school provided care and education to orphans and children from disadvantaged or broken families. At the time of closing, there was an estimated 300 children studying at the school.
The closure followed an order issued on 27 August 2026 to shut down the Ra-Gya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland Girls’ School, also in Machen County. Established on 15 October 2005 by the Tibetan monk and educator Jigme Gyaltsen, the school aimed to expand educational opportunities for girls from nomadic communities.
The school provided academic and vocational instruction in Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, science, traditional medicine, astrology, handicrafts, and thangka painting. It enrolled students from Ü-Tsang, Kham, and Amdo, the three traditional regions of Tibet, and became known for providing educational opportunities to girls from nomadic communities.
Students of Golok Tadrak Orphan School
Community-Funded School Closed Over Tibetan-Language Instruction
In August 2026, authorities also ordered the closure of a primary school established and funded by residents of Jasag village, in Ra-Gya township, Machen County.
According to local sources, officials instructed the school to stop teaching in Tibetan and instead use Simplified Chinese, citing the national policy promoting Putonghua, or standard spoken Chinese, as the common national language. When the school refused to abandon Tibetan-language instruction, authorities reportedly ordered its immediate closure and directed students to attend government-run boarding schools.
The reported closure comes amid changes to China’s national language legislation. On 27 December 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted revisions to the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, originally enacted in 2000. The revised law took effect on 1 January 2026. Among other changes, it removed a provision allowing exceptions to the general requirement that standard Chinese be used as the basic language of instruction in schools.
Rather than supporting meaningful bilingual education, restrictions on Tibetan-medium instruction leave families with fewer opportunities to ensure that their children develop literacy and academic skills in their mother tongue.
The transfer of students to government-run boarding schools also raises concerns about children’s ability to maintain regular contact with their families and communities and continue learning their language, history, and cultural traditions.
Primary school in Jasag village
Restrictions on Access to Golok Obstruct Independent Scrutiny
In August 2026, a European journalist based in Beijing reportedly attempted to visit Golok but encountered obstacles imposed by local authorities. According to the journalist, police said officials did not want outsiders visiting the area because such visits could harm its “image or reputation.” The officers reportedly cited the sensitivity of religious and cultural practices as a reason for restricting access.
The latest closures underscore warnings raised by TCHRD in its May 2022 thematic report, Tibetan Language and Education Rights Under Xi Jinping. The report documented how independent Tibetan educational institutions had increasingly come under state scrutiny and administrative pressure as Chinese authorities intensified policies promoting Mandarin Chinese in education.
TCHRD’s findings highlighted the vulnerability of private, community-funded, and monastic-affiliated schools that sought to preserve Tibetan language and culture outside the state-controlled education system. The report documented the closure of Sengdruk Taktse Middle School in Golok in 2021 and examined the wider pattern of restrictions affecting Tibetan-language education.
At the time, TCHRD warned that independent schools were increasingly threatened by regulatory measures and policies restricting their ability to operate autonomously. Developments since the report’s publication indicate that these concerns have become even more urgent.
According to information received by TCHRD, most independent Tibetan schools in the Golok region have been closed over the past four years. These include Sengdruk Taktse Middle School, Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational School, and Dorje Ten National Vocational and Technical School.
The latest closures of the Golok Tadrak Orphan School, the Ra-Gya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland Girls’ School, and the Jasag village school further demonstrate the shrinking space for independent Tibetan-language education.
The progression from administrative pressure and scrutiny to the closure of entire institutions has far-reaching consequences for Tibetan children, educators, and communities. As independent schools disappear, Tibetan families face increasingly limited opportunities to choose education that prioritizes their language, cultural heritage, and community traditions.
The forced closure of Tibetan schools and restrictions on mother-tongue education raise serious concerns about China’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which China ratified in 1992.
Article 29 of the CRC requires education to promote respect for children’s cultural identity, language, and values. Article 30 protects the right of children belonging to ethnic, religious, or linguistic minorities to enjoy their culture and use their own language.
Policies that force Tibetan schools to close because they provide education in Tibetan risk undermining these protections and depriving children of meaningful opportunities to learn in their mother tongue.
China’s upcoming review by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child presents an important opportunity to scrutinize the government’s education policies in Tibetan areas. The Committee should examine the closure of independent Tibetan schools, restrictions on Tibetan-language instruction, and the consequences for children transferred to government-run boarding schools.
The Committee should seek detailed information from Chinese authorities about the legal grounds for closing these institutions, the availability of quality Tibetan-medium education, and the safeguards in place to protect Tibetan children’s linguistic, cultural, and educational rights. It should urge the government to end discriminatory restrictions on Tibetan-language education and ensure that children can learn in an environment that respects their cultural identity.
The international community should use China’s upcoming CRC review to press the Chinese government to immediately cease the forced closure of Tibetan schools and end restrictions that prevent children from receiving education in their mother tongue. Governments, UN experts, and international human rights organizations should raise these concerns directly with Chinese authorities and demand concrete measures to protect Tibetan children’s educational, linguistic, and cultural rights.
The Chinese government should not be permitted to use “national unity” or “educational standardization” to justify policies that undermine Tibetan children’s linguistic and cultural heritage. The UN review process should provide an opportunity for the Committee and the wider international community to demand accountability and ensure that Tibetan families are not forced to choose between formal education and preserving their children’s cultural identity.
TCHRD urges the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, governments, and international human rights organizations to raise the issue of Tibetan school closures during China’s upcoming review and press for effective safeguards against further restrictions on mother-tongue education.
The closure of schools serving orphans, nomadic girls, and local communities threatens more than access to education. It weakens the institutions through which Tibetan language, knowledge, and cultural traditions are passed from one generation to the next.
Tibetan children should not have to abandon their mother tongue or cultural identity to obtain an education. The Chinese government must end policies that force independent Tibetan schools to close and respect the right of Tibetan children to learn, develop, and preserve their cultural heritage.