Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, April 16: Ragya Gangjong Sherig Norbu Lobling, a prominent Tibetan educational institute in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Amdo (Ch. Qinghai Province), has been granted conditional permission to resume operations, nearly a year after its forced closure by Chinese authorities. The school will now reopen solely for vocational training, with Tibetan language education explicitly prohibited, according to multiple sources.
In a video statement widely circulated on social media inside Tibet, the school’s founder and principal, Ragya Jigme Gyaltsen, addressed a gathering of students, parents, and community stakeholders. He announced that the institute’s vocational department has obtained official authorization to recommence activities, with plans to offer practical training courses—such as mobile phone literacy—to meet the evolving needs of Tibetan society.
“We have received all the necessary documentation to reopen for technical training,” Gyaltsen said in the video. “Although the reopening is not immediate, once we resume, I hope everyone will acquire valuable skills to adapt to the modern era.”
Ragya Gangjong Sherig Norbu Lobling was closed by Chinese authorities on July 14, 2024. The institution was established in August 1994 with permission from the so-called Golog Local People’s Government. It was the first privately operated school in Qinghai Province. Over time, it became a specialized vocational school offering classes in Tibetan language, English, computer science, engineering, medicine, videography, and physical education. Since its inception, over 2,300 students have graduated, including at least 800 university students, 50 researchers, 90 doctors, 110 government employees, 250 university teachers, 13 headmasters, 110 monastic workers, and 260 entrepreneurs.
However, the institute came under intensified scrutiny in the months preceding its shutdown. On April 12, 2024, it was targeted with multiple lawsuits and mounting pressure from local Communist Party officials, including the Party Secretary of Golog, who had reportedly been seeking the school’s closure for years. Additionally, a student association formed in 2018 to promote the Tibetan language was similarly sued for using traditional Tibetan symbols—namely, the jewel and lion emblem from the banned Tibetan National Flag—as part of its logo. The school’s founder also faced false criminal allegations, including bribery and corruption. However, following legal proceedings, he was acquitted of all charges on June 28.
