In a concerning development, the Chinese puppet government in Tibet is enticing investors from other regions of China with the promise of allowing their children to take university entrance exams in the region. This opportunity is offered in exchange for a substantial investment of at least $400,000, raising eyebrows over potential exploitation of what is perceived as an easier scoring system in Tibet.
What’s in the new notification for Tibet
As per a notification released by the China-imposed Tibetan education department and investment promotion bureau, businesspersons are required to uphold their investments in the region for a minimum of five years.
According to the notice, their businesses must be officially registered in Tibet for at least three years, must fulfil tax obligations within the region, and annually employ a workforce of no less than five individuals.
The announcement further states that eligible students must possess permanent residency status in Tibet for over three years and have completed at least one year of high school education
With Tibet boasting a population that is 90% ethnic Tibetan, it has been reported to have the lowest barriers in the gaokao exam across China. This advantage becomes a key edge for millions of students annually, aiming to secure lucrative white-collar jobs through the competitive “gaokao” entrance examinations.
Recent reports suggest that in 2023, a student in Tibet scoring at least 300 out of 750 on the entrance exam would have qualified for an undergraduate place at more than 1,200 universities nationwide. In stark contrast, students taking the exam in Beijing were required to achieve a significantly higher score of 448.
Deprives ethnic population of education and opportunities
However, concerns have been raised regarding China’s attempt to legitimise its students’ admissions under the Tibet quota, potentially diminishing educational opportunities for regional students. Previously, Chinese students resorted to falsifying documents to secure admissions under the Tibetan provincial Gaokao merit. Despite assertions from the education department under the puppet regime of China in Tibet promising crackdowns on fake documented students, recent rule changes have lowered essential qualifications for outsider students. Previously, outsider students were required to undergo education in Tibet for a minimum of three years, but this has now been reduced to just one year.
Notably, in June 2023 last year China imposed Mandarin as the mandatory language for college entrance exams across China. Prior to that the regional languages were also included in the mode of examinations. Similarly in 2022, China introduced Model 2 Education System which made it compulsory for the schools to follow educational curriculum only in Mandarin. Evidently, China is sabotaging or scrapping every feature that makes Tibet an autonomous region. Unfortunately, the latest provisions are just a new thread in the string to assimilate the Chinese population in Tibet and conceive the demographic changes in the region.