China has permanently shut the Hungkar Dorje Vocational High School, a well-known Tibetan educational institution in Qinghai Province that was founded by the late Buddhist leader Tulku Hungkar Dorje. According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), the closure ends nearly two decades of efforts to preserve Tibetan language, culture and traditional knowledge through education.The school, also known as the Snowland Ancient and Modern Education Centre, was established in 2008 in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It taught students in the Tibetan language and offered lessons rooted in Tibetan culture and traditions. ICT said this approach conflicted with Beijing’s education policy, which increasingly requires Mandarin to be the main language of instruction, including in Tibetan regions.The school’s founder, Tulku Hungkar Dorje, who headed Lungngon Monastery, reportedly faced sustained pressure from Chinese authorities before his death in March 2025 under suspicious circumstances while in Chinese custody in Vietnam. According to ICT, he had upset officials after refusing to organise a grand reception for Beijing-appointed Panchen Lama Gyaltsen Norbu during his visit to Golog. Although the school had received approval from local education authorities before opening in July 2008, it has now been ordered to stop all operations.Over the years, the institution offered courses in Tibetan, Chinese and English. Students also received vocational training in traditional weaving, tailoring, Tibetan medicine, Thangka art and information technology. Former students expressed sadness over the closure, saying that more than 1,000 people had studied at the school. At one point, it had between 800 and 1,000 students, including monks, nuns and laypeople, ICT said.ICT also said officials stopped new admissions in 2024. However, Tulku Hungkar Dorje had successfully appealed to allow existing students to complete their education. Following the school’s closure, online tributes and photographs shared by Tibetans have reportedly been removed through censorship, according to the rights group.
