A source from Tibet reports than an 18 year old boy (name withheld for security reasons) from Sanae Lobdring (Middle School) in Shigatse was recently deprived of the opportunity to go to China for further studies.
The required mark to proceed on to tertiary education in China is 185 and the boy, coming fourth in his class, had secured a mark of 197. Nonetheless, he was told that he had major health problems and was therefore unable to take up a tertiary place. The source reports that such cases are very common in Tibet.
As such, they are in violation of article 28(1)(c) of the Convention on the Rights of Child which requires State Parties, of which the PRC is one, to make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity.
The source reports, “Children in Tibet are totally discouraged from attending schools. Charging of exorbitant school fees; partiality in choosing Chinese children for higher studies in China despite Tibetan students security much more than the required percentage; the medium of education being exclusively in Chinese; these are some of the policies the Chinese have taken to, to dishearten diligent students aspiring for a bright future. In a class of around 48 students, the maximum number of students who would be particularly persistent in their studies is only seven or eight. On average, students are most likely to drop out in ninth grade. For children seeking education in Tibet, their future remains completely obscure.”