Tibetan primary school headed by Qimei Ciren is at a higher altitude than Everest base camps
The primary school in Puma Jiangtang, Tibet, is the highest classroom on Earth. It is sited at 5,373 metres above sea level – higher than both base camps used by those attempting to climb Mount Everest, and the average annual temperature is colder than minus 5 degrees Celsius. The harsh conditions spawn ailments including hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) , plethora (a florid, red complexion) and arthritis. Not surprisingly, it scares most teachers away. But Qimei, 37, has stuck it out for more than five years, the last two as principal. Why did you come to the school? I had the chance to stay at university or work as a journalist after graduation but I had dreamed of becoming a teacher and wouldn’ t miss the chance if one arose. I applied for the position and became a teacher. I grew up in a single-parent family. We were poor, and I almost abandoned my studies several times. But a primary school teacher kept encouraging me and I persisted. He inspired my dream to become a teacher. How different is your school and those on the plains? The school is located on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. It’s a cold area but the average altitude is higher than other cold places, reaching 5,373 metres, so there is less than 40 per cent of the oxygen found at sea level. As the air is so thin, hypoxia can attack human organs, including the brain, and people age faster. We have 10 months of winter and just two of summer, when it can also snow. What’s your biggest difficulty at the school? We are short of teachers and our pupils all live at the school. Our teaching load is heavy and education outcomes are not that obvious. The oxygen-poor environment makes us easily distracted. Some teachers did not graduate with education majors and have little chance to receive related training, although the education department gives us a quota for training every year. Teacher’s abilities need to be improved. Some parents come to visit their child just once a semester as they live in grazing areas on the high plains.
