导读:
今年5月,来自法国、瑞典、南非和印度等各国的学者和媒体代表等专家访问了拉萨的一所寄宿学校。代表团成员参观了拉萨市第八中学的教室、宿舍和食堂,对西藏儿童的高质量教育表示钦佩,强调了平等受教育的重要性。对于一些西方媒体对西藏寄宿学校的批评,专家表示,这种指责“不公平,不真实”。就此,我院特聘研究员、瑞典“一带一路”研究所所长Stephen Brawer也发表了评论。
Stephen表示:“当西方部分机构选择扭曲事实,不愿面对现实时,我们有责任将真相传播给更多人。”他还补充道,他此次前往寄宿学校的行程是为了向公众展示西藏真实的情况,希望能为推动真实情况的认知做出积极贡献。
以下为原文转载。
Experts praise equal access to education at Lhasa boarding school
Boarding schools in the Xizang autonomous region have provided children with equal opportunities for access to education, while respecting the culture and language of the Tibetan ethnic group, according to a group of foreign experts.
The experts, including academics and media representatives from various countries such as France, Sweden, South Africa and India, commented after their recent visit to a boarding school in Lhasa, the regional capital.
During their tour in May of Lhasa No 8 Middle School's classrooms, dormitories and cafeteria, members of the delegation expressed admiration for the high-quality education provided to children in Xizang, emphasizing the importance of equal access to education.
At the school, students are offered a diverse range of subjects, including handicrafts, calligraphy, Tibetan language, Tibetan medicine and artificial intelligence technology.
Lloyd Kuveya, assistant director of the Center for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, said: "We visited a lot of classrooms where students were doing their work. And we learned that they were learning in the Tibetan language as well as in Mandarin. Usually, you find that in certain countries, minority languages are not respected. But we saw in the schools that we visited that even minority languages are respected in China."
Kuveya said he was also surprised to learn that Xizang has a 15-year publicly funded education system, covering school meals, lodging and tuition from kindergarten to senior high school. This ensures equal educational opportunities for all children, he said.
Gyanendra Keshri, special correspondent for Indian newspaper the Deccan Herald, said: "Students are given training in the traditional language so that they can remain connected to their roots, and at the same time, they are getting the opportunity to learn English and learn new technology."
Regarding criticism in some Western media about boarding schools in Xizang, Kwon Ki-sik, president of the Korea-China City Friendship Association, said such accusations "are unfair and not true".
"It's a kind of political attack supported by political power groups," Kwon said. "Media should write and report the real stories of Chinese ethnic policy and about the people's satisfaction and happy life."
Stephen Brawer, distinguished research fellow from Guangdong Institute for International Strategies and chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden, said: "When you have a large part of Western institutions that choose not to allow the reality to be perceived, when they are deliberately misrepresentative, of course we have a certain responsibility to bring the reality and the truth of the situation forward."
Brawer said his trip to the boarding school was a good step in bringing the real story of Xizang to a broader audience.
With over 2,000 students, about 70 percent of whom are boarders, Lhasa No 8 Middle School provides free accommodations for its resident students, who return home on weekends.
In Xizang, where the population is spread thin and educational resources are dispersed across a vast expanse of land, people have a strong desire to be educated. Over the years, students who have studied in Xizang have made significant contributions to the development of Xizang and the country as a whole.
As the region celebrates the 65th anniversary of democratic reform, observers said the region is proud to note that education has become a fundamental right accessible to all.
文章来源:《China Daily》