In the new computer room of Gyirong County Middle School in Xigaze City, students are wearing headphones and following the teacher's instructions for practical training.

At Sagya County Middle School in Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Kelsang Phurbu, a Tibetan language teacher for the second-year class, was intently watching the live broadcast on an educational platform and neatly jotting down the key points of the lesson in his notebook. On the other side of the screen, an excellent Tibetan language demonstration class was underway in downtown Xigaze.

"I've noticed that this school places great emphasis on guiding students to discuss in class. This teaching method can greatly enhance students' independent thinking abilities, and it's something we should learn from," Kelsang Phurbu remarked after watching the live demonstration class. Such "cloud classrooms" that transcend geographical barriers have long become a daily reality in the digitization of rural education in Xizang.

Rural campus: A splendid transformation amid the digital wave

As a teacher who has been teaching at Sagya County Middle School for 16 years, Kelsang Phurbu has witnessed the school's transformation from traditional teaching to digital teaching. "In the past, we could only rely on blackboards and chalk for classes. Now, we can use whiteboards and PPTs. The abundant images, videos, and animations make abstract knowledge intuitive and easy to understand, significantly increasing students' interest in learning," he said.

Today, the fruits of educational digitization are everywhere at Sagya County Middle School. Digital facilities such as teaching whiteboards and recording studios are readily available. There are 280 digital readers, enabling every three students to share one device. Sixty AI Chinese classroom intelligent voice answering devices have created an integrated application scenario for "teaching - learning - research," effectively addressing issues such as lesson preparation resources, teaching evaluations, and teaching models.

The transformation of Sagya County Middle School is a vivid microcosm of the vigorous development of rural education in Xizang. Behind this lies the region's active implementation of the "Digital Xizang" construction and the strategic action of educational digitization.

Collaborative efforts: Building a new ecosystem of smart education through partnerships

In recent years, Xizang has taken the full coverage of high-quality resources as a starting point, coordinating 21 educational informatization demonstration schools toprovide paired assistance tomultiple schools in 21 counties. Relying on the "National Smart Education Platform for Primary and Secondary Schools" and the "Xizang Education Zhufeng Qiyun Platform," high-quality educational resources have transcended geographical barriers and precisely reached rural classrooms.

The 21 demonstration schools, relying on the two platforms, update educational resources such as excellent courses, teaching cases, and digital books in various ways, becoming the "cloud gas stations" for rural teachers. On the "cloud classroom," it has become common for aid-Xizang teachers to take the lead in conducting open classes and demonstration classes. The high-quality teaching resources uploaded by some demonstration schools every month have become a "treasure trove" for rural teachers in lesson preparation. Demonstration schools and partnered schools jointly watch lectures on textbook interpretation by experts from outside the region, enabling rural teachers to keep pace with teaching reforms. These resources, once confined to urban campuses, now reach rural classrooms through optical fibers.

The demonstration schools have focused on the actual situations of their partnered schools and formulated precise strategies, constructing a new ecosystem of smart education featuring resource sharing and experience exchange. For instance, Bayi Middle School in Nyingchi City equipped Medog County Middle School, Mainling City Middle School, and Zayu County Middle School with digital educational equipment, consolidating the foundation of smart education. Lhasa Ngari Senior High School innovated teacher development paths, exchanging key teachers with partnered schools for on-site exchanges and promoting pedagogical paradigm optimization through online open classes. Qamdo Experimental Primary School leveraged the mentoring role of aid-Xizang teachers from Tianjin, organizing teams to conduct teaching and training in Xiazayu Town Central Primary School, embedding advanced teaching philosophies at the grassroots level.

Local education bureaus have also synchronized their efforts to empower the digitalization of rural education. The Nagqu Education Bureau upgraded the digital campus networks of demonstration schools, optimizing teaching equipment to create a "high-speed road" for smart education to directly reach plateau classrooms. The Nyingchi Education Bureau allocated special funds to inject strong momentum into educational partnered assistance. The Xigaze Education Bureau focused on weak links in border education to deliver warm donations and targeted lessons to border county schools.

Meanwhile, schools in various cities organized teaching skill competitions and digital technology application trainings, providing platforms for rural teachers to enhance their digital literacy and align rural classrooms with smart education.

Returning to the essence: Empowering student growth through technology

"When the smart screen first replaced the blackboard in the classroom, and the cloud-based lesson preparation system became accessible via mobile phones, I suddenly realized that educational digitization isn't just about new equipment—it's a transformation of the entire educational environment," said Yeshe Tsetan, a teacher from Gyirong County Middle School.

In his view, the essence of educational digitization lies in serving students' growth, not merely technological accumulation. "Digital education is like opening countless windows for the classroom, allowing us to see broader horizons. My greatest gain isn't becoming a tech expert, but discovering new perspectives in teaching. The most touching moment isn't technical wizardry, but seeing students' eyes light up with understanding," he said.

Today, Xizang is bridging the "last mile" of educational digitization through integrated strategies. From smart screens illuminating plateau classrooms to cloud courses traversing mountains and seas, this "digital sky road" to rural areas represents both technological innovation and a student-centered approach. As digital technology takes root on the snowy plateau, a new chapter of balanced, high-quality education development is unfolding.

Reporter: Gawa Padma

Translator: Zhi Xinghua, Liu Fang

Review: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen