Chinese authorities have shut down three Tibetan-language schools in the Golog region of Qinghai province over recent months, leaving hundreds of students and teachers without clarity on their educational future and intensifying global concerns over the survival of Tibetan cultural and linguistic identity. The closures, reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA), are linked to Beijing's sweeping education policies and the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which came into force on 1 July.

The Three Schools Shut Down

The Gangjong Grassland Girls' School in Machen County — which had approximately 450 students and 60 teachers — was shuttered on 28 August. The Jasag Village Primary School, established in 1995 with funds raised by local nomadic families, was closed in September. Most recently, the Golog Tadra Orphan School, which had served Tibetan orphans and disadvantaged children for over two decades, was ordered to close in October 2026. According to reports, there is no clarity on where the affected students will continue their studies.

Beijing's Justification and Ground Reality

Chinese authorities have reportedly justified the closures on logistical grounds — citing Golog's high altitude and an inadequate supply of teachers and resources. However, Tibetan sources and education experts say the reasoning does not hold up. A source told RFA that schools in the Golog region were simultaneously conducting a 'strong patriotic reeducation campaign', adding that Tibetans were reluctant to share information due to government restrictions.

Notably, even as these community institutions were being shuttered, authorities opened a new state-run boarding school — Golog Tsoshar Middle School — with 1,200 students on 1 September. Critics argue this pattern reveals a deliberate strategy of replacing community-led Tibetan education with centralised, Chinese-medium schooling.

Experts Warn of Cultural Erasure

Tibetan educational sociologist Gyal Lo told RFA that the closures were part of a calculated campaign. 'The Chinese government sees schools where Tibetans can organise themselves to learn and teach their own culture as a thorn in its side. That is why these schools are being abolished,' he said. Gyal Lo warned that affected children would be pushed into state-run boarding schools where the entire curriculum is taught in Chinese and controlled by the government. 'The aim is to turn the entire Tibetan people into Chinese. This is not limited to a small area; it is a plan with far-reaching consequences,' he added.

Central Tibetan Administration Responds

Tenzin Lekshey, spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, said Beijing viewed Tibetan schools and monasteries as obstacles rather than institutions that preserve community identity. 'The Chinese government is doing all this out of fear,' Lekshey told RFA.

A Widening Pattern of Closures

The latest shutdowns are not isolated. They follow a series of earlier closures in Golog: Gangjong Sherig Norling School in July 2024, Dorjeten National Vocational School in December 2025, and Hungkar Dorje Vocational Secondary School in June 2026. Together, these closures represent a sustained dismantling of community-run Tibetan educational infrastructure in the region, raising urgent questions about Beijing's long-term cultural assimilation agenda in Tibet and its adjoining provinces.