On the morning of August 5, a special press conference with the theme of "the economic and social development achievements of Xizang Autonomous Region on its 60th founding anniversary" was held by the State Council Information Office.

During the Q&A session with media reporters at the press conference, a reporter from Macau Monthly raised a question regarding reports that Tibetan language had been removed from the college entrance examination subjects in Xizang and that schools were no longer treating Tibetan language as a major course. In response, Gama Cedain, deputy secretary of Communist Party of China Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee and Chairman of Xizang Autonomous Region, stated that Xizang officially launched a comprehensive reform of the college entrance examination in 2024. The reform aims to break away from the "sole focus on scores" and "sole focus on college admission," promoting educational equity and the all-round development of students. He emphasized that the reform is by no means a cancellation of Tibetan language courses and that the status and teaching requirements of Tibetan language in basic education will be fully guaranteed.

Gama Cedain explained that the Tibetan language-taught majors in regular higher education institutions mainly include Tibetan language and literature, as well as Tibetan medicine and pharmacology. However, these majors face issues such as relatively limited enrollment quotas, narrow pathways for further education, restricted discipline options, and a limited employment scope. After the policy adjustments, Xizang, like other provinces and regions across the country, will implement "a unified examination paper," with compulsory examination subjects including Chinese, mathematics, and foreign languages (the latter covering English, Russian, Japanese, French, German, and Spanish). Optional examination subjects include politics, history, geography, physics, chemistry, and biology. Tibetan students can still apply for Tibetan language-taught majors in regular higher education institutions. Xizang Autonomous Region will organize a unified examination for the Tibetan language subject, and students who pass the exam will be eligible to apply. This helpsstudents from all ethnic groups have access to more equitable and high-quality education, aids ethnic minority students in enhancing their capacity for knowledge acquisition, comprehensively improves their scientific and cultural literacy, provides more opportunities for student development, and offers a wider range of choices for students seeking higher education.

Gama Cedain emphasized that the adjustment of college entrance examination subjects in Xizang does not entail the cancellation of Tibetan language courses. Tibetan language remains a compulsory course in primary and secondary schools in Xizang and other Tibetan-inhabited areas, with no reduction in class hours. The curriculum standards, teaching implementation, and instructional methods for Tibetan languageare as rigorous as for other subjects, and it is included in middle and high school academic proficiency assessments. There are sufficient Tibetan language teachers in schools of all levels and types acrossXizang Autonomous Region and other Tibetan-inhabited areas. Currently, there are over 30,000 bilingual teachers across Xizang, with the number of full-time Tibetan language teachers increasing from 5,800 in 2018 to nearly 8,300. Normal universities such as Qinghai Normal University and non-normal universities including Minzu University of China and Xizang University all offer Tibetan language majors, with a certain number of graduates from these programs joining the teaching workforce each year.

Reporters: Wen Feng, Kangye Palmo

Translator: Luo Rongting, Zhi Xinghua

Review: Phurbu Tsering, Dong Xiuli