孙舒：Why boarding schools a successful model in Xizang

In the contemporary Chinese education system, boarding schools, especially those in ethnic minority areas, fulfill a dual mandate: to establish a modern educational framework, elevate learning outcomes and foster comprehensive student development, while simultaneously transmitting and protecting minority cultural heritage to uphold diversity. This dual imperative is vividly demonstrated in the educational initiatives of the Xizang Autonomous Region.

As a cornerstone of China's ethnic education system, Xizang's boarding schools demonstrate irreplaceable significance in modernizing education, strengthening national cohesion and safeguarding cultural pluralism. By simultaneously delivering quality contemporary education and actively preserving Tibetan cultural heritage, these schools have pioneered a unique educational paradigm.

On one hand, Xizang's boarding schools continuously enhance the modern education system through multifaceted initiatives, providing students with high-quality educational resources.

The construction of fundamental facilities serves as the material foundation for the development of boarding schools. In Xizang, boarding schools are uniformly equipped with modern teaching buildings, laboratory buildings, student dormitories, libraries, reading rooms, science labs, equipment rooms, computer labs, multimedia classrooms and standardized dining halls. The campus layout is well-designed, and the teaching facilities are comprehensive. These facilities provide strong support for modern education.

In terms of curriculum design, while ensuring the implementation of national foundational courses, the school has also developed a variety of expanded courses based on students' characteristics and developmental needs. For example, Lhasa High School offers activity-based extension courses such as dance, wind band, and choir, has created school-based courses including pottery and football and has established inquiry-based programs like robotics. Additionally, the school has formed a cultural lecture series held every Monday morning. These courses enrich students' learning experiences and promote holistic development.

Moreover, boarding schools in Xizang have been actively exploring teaching methods that align with the laws of ethnic education. Respecting students' individual differences, these schools have implemented a tiered teaching approach known as"nurturing excellence and bridging gaps" to provide targeted support.

This method not only focuses on students facing academic challenges but also offers greater opportunities for high-potential learners. Under this educational model, the admission rate of graduates to prestigious high schools within Xizang has been steadily increasing year by year.

On the other hand, while advancing modern education, Xizang's boarding schools attach great importance to the inheritance and development of Tibetan traditional culture.

In boarding schools, the teaching of the Tibetan language holds a position of paramount importance. Through scientifically structured Tibetan language curricula, dynamic and varied instructional methods, distinctive Tibetan calligraphy courses, and demonstrably effective learning outcomes, these schools have effectively preserved and promoted the Tibetan language while actively contributing to the cultivation of a new generation of cultural inheritors.

Research findings reveal that Tibetan language classes are scheduled with equal frequency to subjects like Chinese and mathematics, averaging about six periods per week, and have become one of the most favored courses among many students.

Furthermore, the intermission exercise period at Xizang's boarding schools presents a unique cultural spectacle. Students dressed in vibrant Tibetan traditional attire gather on the playground, moving joyfully to rhythmic music as they perform Guozhuang dances and other regionally distinctive ethnic dances.

The No. 8 Middle School in Lhasa innovatively designed its ethnic-themed exercises by integrating the diverse dance traditions from Xizang's seven prefecture-level cities. As the capital's central district, Chengguan was deemed the ideal location to showcase the region's cultural resources and artistic strengths collectively. Consequently, the school developed a seven-part exercise series, each segment representing a different prefecture's signature dance style.

To further enrich students' extracurricular lives and cultivate their interests, Xizang's boarding schools have established various interest clubs centered on ethnic traditional culture. In music classes, students learn to play traditional Tibetan instruments such as zayan, filling the campus with melodious tunes. Calligraphy classes, guided by Tibetan script instructors, allow students to appreciate the artistic beauty of Tibetan calligraphy through practice. Dance classes teach not only Guozhuang dances but also other Tibetan folk dances like xianzi, enabling students to showcase the unique charm of Tibetan culture through movement.

The school also regularly hosts traditional folk culture experience activities, including competitions for wearing Tibetan robes and making tsampa. In addition, Tibetan calligraphy contests, Guozhuang dance competitions and campus cultural festivals featuring Tibetan-style cultural and sports events are organized. These activities not only enrich campus cultural life but also enhance students' appreciation and interest in traditional heritage.

Boarding schools in Xizang, as a vital form of ethnic education, have successfully pioneered a development path that integrates modern education with the preservation of ethnic culture. By refining the contemporary education system, inheriting Tibetan culture, promoting ethnic progress and exploring unique school-running models, these institutions not only provide high-quality educational resources for Tibetan students but also make significant contributions to maintaining ethnic unity and cultural diversity.

Through continuous innovation and improvement, Xizang's boarding schools will offer more successful experiences for developing modern education and preserving traditional culture in ethnic regions.

(From CGTN，Sun Shu, a special commentator for CGTN, is an assistant researcher at the Institute of Contemporary Studies under the China Tibetology Research Center. )