Report criticizes China’s linguistic ‘harmonizing’ of Tibetan children

China is giving the word “harmony” a bad name, using it as as means to obliterate the civilizational identity of Tibet, starting by Sincizing the upbringing of the territory’s pre-school children, according to a 72-page report published May 4 by the international rights organizaton Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Titled as “Start with the Youngest Children: China Uses Preschools to ‘Integrate’ Tibetans”, the New York headquartered rights body notes that a 2021 Ministry of Education directive – the Children’s Speech Harmonisation plan – mandates the use of standard Mandarin Chinese for all preschool instruction in ethnic minority areas.

The report notes that although in theory kindergartens can still offer supplementary sessions for minority children in their own language, minorities no longer have the legal authority to organise them independently.

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