Beijing: Chinese authorities on Monday defended a ban on schoolchildren attending informal Tibetan language classes taught by Buddhist monks in western
Beijing: Chinese authorities on Monday defended a ban on schoolchildren attending informal Tibetan language classes taught by Buddhist monks in western China, as religious and cultural freedoms in the country come under increasing pressure.
A county in western Qinghai — a province with a large Tibetan population that is mostly Buddhist — in December ordered an immediate halt to informal language classes taught by monks during the winter school holidays.
The lessons taught in monasteries in the province bordering Tibet have gained popularity among parents as a way for their children to learn a language that is being sidelined from the official curriculum.
