[lg policy] China education officials defend language policies in Tibetan areas following student protests

[Harold Schiffman]

   	 		    	
China education officials defend language policies in Tibetan areas
following student protests
By: CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press
10/23/10 1:10 AM EDT

BEIJING — Chinese officials tried to defuse discontent following days
of student protests in ethnically Tibetan areas, saying a plan to
teach classes only in Mandarin Chinese was not aimed at wiping out
Tibet's native tongue, state media reported Saturday. Changes won't be
forced in areas where "conditions are not ripe," the official Xinhua
News Agency cited Wang Yubo, the Qinghai province education department
director, as saying. The report did not elaborate on how officials
would make that determination. The London-based group Free Tibet has
said that hundreds, possibly thousands, of middle, high school and
college students joined the demonstrations.

For authorities, any sign of unrest among Tibetans is seen as a threat
to national sovereignty and a reminder of past uprisings against
China's often heavy-handed rule over the Himalayan region. No arrests
or violence were reported following the student protests that began in
the town of Tongren and soon spread to other communities in the
western province of Qinghai, which is home to numerous minority ethnic
groups, including Tibetans and Mongolians, who retain their own
languages. There was also a similar protest on the campus of a Beijing
university.

The protests appear to have been sparked by remarks by Qiang Wei,
Qinghai province's Communist Party chief, who was quoted last month by
the Communist Party's official newspaper as praising the use of a
"common language" in schools. A report on Qinghai's plans for
educational reform over the next decade has said "the nation's common
language must become the language of instruction." Students fear the
government's plan means the current bilingual system will be scrapped
in favor of using Mandarin Chinese alone, except in language classes.

The goal of the policy is to bridge the education gap between China's
various ethnic groups and promote development in ethnic minority
areas, Xinhua said, citing an open letter issued by the Qinghai
provincial government to all teachers and students on Friday.
Authorities will respect the viewpoints of students and their parents
before carrying out reforms, Xinhua cited Wang as saying. Xinhua also
gave the first official confirmation that students had "expressed
their dissatisfaction" in at least four Tibetan prefectures in Qinghai
between last Sunday and Wednesday.

Use of the Tibetan language is tied to the region's political
struggles. Many Tibetans argue they have traditionally been
self-governing and that Chinese policies are wrecking their unique
Buddhist culture. But the issue is complicated because while many
Tibetans feel threatened by development and the migration of China's
ethnic Han majority, some also hope their children master Mandarin in
order to obtain better jobs.
Beijing defends its policies, saying they spur economic growth in the
largely poor areas.

About 500 students at the Beijing campus of Minzu University of China,
a leading institution for ethnic minority students, protested for
language rights Friday. Pictures posted on Twitter showed a group of
students carrying a banner saying "Protect ethnic minority languages,
carry forward Chinese civilization." Brewing discontent with Beijing's
policies exploded into deadly rioting in Tibet's capital Lhasa in
2008, then spread through traditionally Tibetan areas such as Tongren.
The government says at least 22 people were killed in Lhasa, while
Tibetan rights groups say nearly 140 Tibetans died in the violence.


Read more at the Washington Examiner:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/world/china-education-officials-defend-language-policies-in-tibetan-areas-following-student-protests-105584133.html#ixzz13JLlP5ol



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