The politics, policies, and practices in linguistic minority education in the Peopleʹs Republic of China: the case of Tibet

Like many nations, China faces the dilemma of designing an education system that, on the one hand, promotes national unity and economic development and, on the other, is sensitive to the unique needs and cultural background of various minority groups. During the regime of Mao Zedong class differentiation in Tibet was seen as a threat to communist ideology. The Tibetan society was condemned as “backward” and Chinese became the official language in all schools. As a result, Tibet is one of the least literate regions in China. Current Chinese law dictates that school curricula should reflect the interests of their constituencies and the minority language should serve as the medium of instruction. However, the examination system to advance to higher education reinforces the Mandarin language. Consequently, many minority parents believe that the sole use of Tibetan may not help their childrenʹs future. Chinaʹs educational success in Tibet (and other minority regions) will depend on her ability to engage ethnic minority students in the universal primary school system.