1. Wu, Mei Faculty of Education The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
The Development of Higher Education in the TAR: From UNESCO’s Perspective
Wu, Mei
Faculty of Education
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

2. Tibet is a highly controversial area in the present world
An unbiased perspective is needed for the analysis of the higher education in the TAR.
A top selection : Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: vision and Action. (UNESCO)

3. Overview Introduction Access to higher education Quantity and quality
Subjects and language
Conclusion

4. Introduction 50th anniversary of the higher education in the TAR.
＊In 1958, Tibetan Public School (Xizang gongxue) founded.
A complete tertiary education system covering doctorate and master's degrees, bachelor degree and diploma of all higher education level.

5. By 2006, six modern universities and colleges had been established in Tibet.
★ Tibet Institute for Nationalities (TIN, 1965)
★ Tibet University (TU,1985）
★ Traditional Tibetan Medicine College (TTMC,1993）
★ Tibet Police College (TPC, 2003）
★ Tibet Technical College ( TTC, 2005）
★ Tibet Teacher’s College (TTC，2006).
More than 20,000 students including a group of Tibetan doctors and masters, graduated from the universities and colleges.
26,767 college students at present

6. Access to higher education
No discrimination can be accepted in granting access to higher education on grounds of race, gender, language or religion, or economic, cultural or social distinctions, or physical disabilities (UNESCO, 1998) .

7. The National Unified Higher Education Enrollment system(1978)
China's annual National College Entrance Examination, (NCEE)
Preferential policy (1980)
1) Minority nationality classes.
2) Their own entrance examinations.
3) The university examination in their native language.
4) The lower pass mark.
5) Priority in admission

8. The proportion of Tibetans and other non-Han Chinese nationalities in tertiary enrollment
48.6 % (1984)
57.8 % (1993)
72.7% (2008)

9. Table 1: Average Number of University Students per 100,000 (2005)
Area
Number
TAR
1139
Qinghai
905
Yunnan
904
Guizhou
838
Guangxi
993
Henan
1119
Hainan
1133
Anhui
1110
National average
1613

10. Preferential polices
The central government’s enormous investment in finance and human resources
A great leap forward since 1958
From nil to a talents’ pool and research foundation of Tibet

11. Quantity and quality
Higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit . (UNESCO, 1998)

12. The number of college students attained 26,767
Quantity
In 2007
The number of college students attained 26,767
17.4% gross enrollment rate (Council of PRC, 2008).

13. Numbers of Enrollment and Total Students from 1965 to 2007 (Council of PRC, 2006-2008)
The number of students enrolled in college in different years
910
772
233
530
645
683
1193
1095
1175
717
1681
2320
2420
3414
4279
6009
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1965
1975
1980
1985
1990
1992
1993
1994
1995
1997
1999
2001
2002
2003
2004
Year
Number
The number of students enrolled in college

14. The number of college students in different years
1964
1494
1577
2025
2239
2813
3280
3878
3200
3400
4021
5475
6793
8438
11600
14731
23327
26767
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
1975
1980
1985
1990
1992
1993
1994
1995
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2006
2007
Year
Number
The number of college students)

15. Vocational Institution
Table2: the Comparison of Admission Scores between the TAR and Other Regions in 2008
Regions
Type
Tibet
Qinghai
Gansu
Hebei
Henan
Guizhou
Minority
Han A R T S
Key Institution
350
500
470
490
560
537
557
566
Common Institution
270
360
405
425
501
503
513
Vocational Institution
230
320
312
322 C I E N
290
418
438
558
552
563
521
220
365
368
388
507
514
517
468
200
300
262
272

16. Table 3: Admission Scores in the TAR (2000 to 2007)
Year
Level
Arts
Science
Minority Han Gap
Minority Han Gap
2000
Key Institution
Common Institution
Vocational Institution
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007

17. Students encountered many difficulties in learning
Teachers have to face more challenges
Some graduates have not reached the standards the subject requires
The reform of employment system of graduates in 2006
Minority graduates have to rely on the special preferential policy to find jobs

18. the same ability and employment competitiveness.
The realization of the equity of entrance is at the expense of the equality of consequence:
the same ability and employment competitiveness.

19. Subjects and languages
The policy debate on the role of higher education in a changing world has to be based on a judicious balance between the preservation of those features which should remain as part of the educational and cultural heritage and the changes which are essential to preserve the role society accords to higher education. (Policy Paper for Change and Development in Higher Education . UNESCO, 1995)

20. Three stages in the past 50 years
Stage 1: Training the Tibetan politics cadres and the professional cadres ( )
Tibetan and Chinese literacy courses
23 programs, covering medical science, teacher’s education, accounting, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and so on.

21. Traditional Tibetan Medicine College (1993)
Stage 2: Serving the development of Tibetan economy and preserving the traditional Tibetan culture ( )
Tibet University (1985)
Tibetan Language, Chinese Language, Mathematics, Physics, Tibetan medicine and others
Traditional Tibetan Medicine College (1993)
Traditional Tibetan medicine and pharmacy

22. Stage 3: Emphasizing the comprehensive, minority and vocational subjects (1999- )
New subjects (especially vocational ones), including computer science and technology, marketing, hospitality and tourism, management, Tibetan-Chinese-English translation, arts and crafts, and others.
A group of subjects with the “minority” title: "minority history", "minority language", "minority art", and "minority religion".
More than 70 undergraduate programs and 60 higher vocational education programs.

23. Teaching language
Tibetan language used as teaching language in: Tibetan literature, Tibetan language and Tibetan medicine.
Except these subjects, Chinese used as instruction language in other curricula.

24. Language teaching
Clear requirements for Tibetan language learning. For instance:
Tibetan language is a compulsory course for every student in TU and TIN
Some electives : Tibetan writing, Tibetan-Chinese translation and Tibetan spoken language.

25. Tibetan language cannot be used as teaching language in campus at present
Lack of accurate translation vocabulary of modern science and technology, as well as the social science terminology
The three major Tibetan dialects can not be well understood by one another
Chinese used as the teaching language for a long time would certainly weaken the Tibetan culture in some extent.

26. Special policies
The history of the development of subjects and languages reflects two main goals of higher education in the TAR:
Training professionals for social development of the TAR
Preserving the Tibetan traditional culture

27. Conclusion
The educational philosophy and policy of the Chinese government are in line with the UNESCO’s in many aspects.
As a result of the TAR political sensitivity, many education issues are converted to political ones.
The policies and practices with good intention distorted in the reality.
The bureaucracy in the Chinese education system
Pay more attention on the Preferential policies than the Special policies

28. What the Tibetans have to face is "modernization" rather than "Hanization" .
Higher education should play a vital role in Tibetan modernization and transformation.

29. Thanks!