A bilingual education professional development project for primary Tibetan teachers in China: the experience and lessons learned

Abstract

This paper examines bilingual education policies and practices in China and the interconnection and influences of the west in the new developments in bilingual education in this country. It focuses on bilingual education in Tibetan areas considering the sociopolitical context, the Tibetan tradition, and the current developments and new knowledge in the area of bilingual education. It discusses the challenges and limitations that Tibetan teachers and students face today as well as their strengths and aspirations for an improved bilingual education system through which teachers can teach better, students can learn faster, achieve higher, and consequently communities can prosper. It presents the experience and lessons learned from the Gannan Tibetan Bilingual Education Project in Gansu Province, a bilingual teacher training project for Tibetan primary teachers, supported by the UK Department for International Development in China in collaboration with the Gansu Provincial Department of Education. This experience can provide insight and useful information for educators, policy-makers, and governments in the design and implementation of similar bilingual teacher professional development projects in countries where minority and indigenous people live.

Keywords:

• bilingual education
• ethnic minorities
• indigenous languages
• minority education
• mother tongue education
• cultural identity

Acknowledgements

The project described in this paper was supported by funds from the UK Department for International Development (UK DfID) in China and with the collaboration of the Gansu Provincial Department of Education and the Education Authorities of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (GTAP) in Gansu Province.