Former Chinese Teacher Testifies: Heartbroken, Helpless, But Not Surprised by Forceful Closure of Gang Jong Sherig Norbu Lobling School

DHARAMSALA, 17 July: “I felt heartbroken and helpless, but I was not surprised,” said Ginger Duan, a former Chinese computer teacher at the renowned Ragya Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational High School in Golok, in the traditional Tibetan Province of Amdo, after the Chinese authorities forcefully shut down the school on 12 July.

Ginger, who worked at the Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational High School as an outsourced IT service engineer from 2018 to 2019, told Tibet Express, “It was devastating to hear the news, but I was not surprised as there was a rumour that the school would close for a long time.”

“There were two schools, one for the monks and male students, and one for nuns and female students. By the time I worked there in Ragya town where the school is located, the schools for females had already been taken over by the local government,” Ginger, who now lives in California, US, said in her testimony.

During her time at the school, Ginger said she had the “opportunity to learn about its history and witness many challenges and the suppression it faced.”

“It was said that the Principal, Jigme Gyaltsen, was forced to give up one of the schools to prevent the government from shutting down both of them.”

According to Ginger, “The local government has been trying to shut down schools that are not under their control, especially independently run Tibetan private schools.”

“When I worked at the school, I stood with the teachers and the students with the hope that I could help them preserve their culture and heritage as much as possible despite the shrinking space for such efforts.”

“Eventually, I felt the risks increasing, and I decided to leave Tibet and China,” she added.

When asked if the schools the Chinese government forcefully shut down on trumped-up charges pose any threat to the Chinese government, she said, “Under Xi Jinping’s policy of erasing ethnic languages and cultures, those schools are seen as a threat. I don’t think the school poses any threat to the Chinese government; the school is doing its best to survive under this policy,” she said and added, “However, I know the Principal was under massive pressure and had to negotiate with the local officials for years.”

“Since I left the school about five years ago, I have heard rumours of its closure many times. But this time it actually happened. Many students I know from the school are heartbroken and crying in despair. Independent schools can control the curriculum and the language of instruction, which undermines the colonial narrative and history fabrication by the local government. This directly opposes the current policy of ethnic language education.”

Reflecting on her feelings after the closure of the school, she said, “I feel heartbroken and helpless. I deeply miss life in Tibet, Ragya, the school, and the teachers at the school. I always hoped that one day I would be able to go back to the school and meet the teachers, students, and old friends again. I used to believe that this day would come and waited patiently, but now I realize that it would never happen.”

The Chinese Communist Government shut down the renowned Ragya Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational High School in Golok, in the traditional Tibetan Province of Amdo, on trumped-up charges on 12 July. 

According to media reports and Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet, the closure of Ragya Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational High School echoes Ginger’s testimony about a series of closures of Tibetan private schools aimed at erasing Tibetan language, culture, and religion. 

Established in 1994 by monk Jigme Gyaltsen and managed by the Snow Land Academy of Sciences, the school has faced persistent legal challenges and pressure from local Communist Party officials in Golok. Despite Jigme Gyaltsen being acquitted of bribery accusations, the school ultimately could not avoid closure.