China has permanently closed Honka Dorje Vocational High School, a famous Tibetan education institution in Qinghai province founded by the late Buddhist leader Honka Dorje Rinpoche. The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said the closure ended nearly two decades of efforts to protect Tibetan language, culture and traditional knowledge through education.The school, also known as the Snow Country Ancient and Modern Education Center, was established in 2008 in Goluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It teaches students in the Tibetan language and offers courses rooted in Tibetan culture and traditions. ICT said the approach conflicts with Beijing’s education policy, which increasingly requires Mandarin to be the main language of instruction, including in Tibetan areas.The school’s founder and director of Longgang Monastery, Tulku Hongga Dorje, reportedly faced continued pressure from Chinese authorities while in Chinese custody in Vietnam before his death in March 2025 under suspicious circumstances. He angered officials by refusing to host a lavish reception for the Beijing-appointed Panchen Lama Gyaltsen Norbu during his visit to Golok, ICT reported. Although the school had received approval from the local education department before opening in July 2008, it has now been ordered to cease all operations.Over the years, the institution has offered courses in Tibetan, Chinese and English. Students also received vocational training in traditional weaving, tailoring, Tibetan medicine, thangka art and information technology. Former pupils expressed sadness at the school’s closure, saying more than 1,000 people were already studying at the school. The ICT said the school at one time had between 800 and 1,000 students, including monks, nuns and lay people.ICT also said officials would stop recruiting new students in 2024. However, Tulku Honka Dorje has successfully called for current students to be allowed to complete their studies. Online tributes and photos shared by Tibetans following the school closures were reportedly removed through censorship, according to the human rights group.
