Tibetan sources who spoke to Radio Free Asia linked the closures to the Chinese government’s education policies and its promotion of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which took effect on July 1, 2026. They said the shutdowns could further limit opportunities for Tibetan children to learn their mother tongue and cultural traditions.
I actually like the idea of state atheism but the consequences of implementing such policies will always lead to suffering, repression, and cultural genocide. I’ve thought about this a bit and haven’t come up with any kind of gentle solution. It seems to me that the core issue is the structural aspect of the religion that imposes its own laws on the group that conflicts with other hierarchies.