News and Views on Tibet

Students from closed school struggle to get admission in Golog

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Tibetan students at Sengdruk Taktse middle school in an undated photo (Photo/RFA)

By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 23: The non-local students and orphans from the forcibly shut Sengdruk Taktse middle school in July are reportedly struggling to get re-admission in local government-affiliated schools, according to Tibet Watch. The report suggested that following the arrest of teacher Rinchen Kyi, the student community continue to face mounting difficulties, including enrolment in other schools.

“Without a family, orphans do not have a Household Registration Card (Ch: Hukuo) based upon which Resident Identity Card (Ch: Jūmín Shēnfènzhèng) is issued,” the report noted.

Students from Derge, Khyungchu and Dzachuka are unable to find admission as their identity cards carry details of their native addresses registered elsewhere in the region, according to the findings. “Teachers are distressed as they cannot seek employment elsewhere until the matter settles with the government,” researcher Gendun Tso told Phayul.

The source told the rights group that teachers have been held up in the process of handing over the accounts, and are not allowed to help the non-local students and orphans who haven’t left the school premises yet. “Some of the students are compelled to stay at the school and teachers are unable to help them since they still have to clear those accounts with the government officials first,” Gendun further remarked.

The private school in question was closed without any prior official clarification and all the students were advised to enroll in government schools in the region. The co-founder Khandrul Jigme Kunsang Gyaltsen immediately made an urgent plea to reconsider the decision as the private school, in addition to education, housed orphaned and economically backward Tibetan children with no means to access formal schooling. The alumni community also urged the officials to let the school remain functional as it symbolized the “aspirations of Tibetan nomads and farmers”.

The Sengdruk Taktse middle school in Darlak County in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture was closed on July 8 following the official order that came a week after the CCP’s centenary celebration. The school currently remains closed without any information regarding its legal status and ownership of its properties.

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