Chinese Province Bans Tibetan Children From Attending Buddhist Monasteries Citing ‘Ideological Infiltration’

Tibetan children in Nangchen county of China’s Qinghahi province have been barred from going to classes at traditional Buddhist monasteries, eliciting a strong condemnation from the Human Rights Watch (HRW), reports The Tribune.

The ban was formally enforced last month (December 2018) in response to what communist authorities described as the “ideological infiltration among the young".

This latest move “violates a long list of basic rights, from education to cultural life,” stated HRW China director Sophie Richardson.

As per a report released by HRW, the informal monastery classes had gained popularity in places with sizeable Tibetan populations, where children attended them during school holidays to gain a better understanding of their language which has gradually been phased out from public schools.

"Preventing Tibetan children from contact with monks and monasteries will only fuel Tibetan fears that China aims increasingly to restrict Tibetan culture and religion," Richardson warned.