State-run media confirmed to RFA implementation of a new system in Tibet where army veterans are deployed to schools to impart “patriotic education” and military training to children. Footage shows students in fatigues conducting drills, raising concerns over the forced assimilation of Tibetan youth.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi-April 4, 2025
China is implementing a controversial new system across Tibet, placing army veterans in schools as “on-campus instructors” tasked with providing military and political training to Tibetan children, some as young as six years old, reports Radio Free Asia (RFA).
 Sources within Tibet confirmed state-run media reports detailing this initiative, which experts warn signifies a dangerous escalation in Beijing’s efforts to assimilate the Tibetan population and erase their distinct cultural identity.
Tibet, once an independent nation, was forcibly incorporated into China over seven decades ago. Since then, Beijing has maintained a tight grip on the region, severely restricting Tibetans’ fundamental rights, including the peaceful expression of their cultural and religious identity and the use of their native Tibetan language.
Instilling “Correct Values” in Children
State-run media reports offer glimpses into the implementation of this new system. In Nagchu, for instance, local media reported the deployment of 13 retired Han Chinese army veterans as “on-campus instructors” across seven schools, spanning primary to middle school levels. Their stated mission is to instill “correct values” in the young students.
According to state media, the overarching goal of this new system is to “let national defense education take root from childhood” and to prepare Tibetan children for future military service. Authorities have framed this as creating a “new win-win situation for veterans’ services and youth ideological and political education.”
Experts fear that this initiative represents a dangerous escalation of Beijing’s long-standing assimilation policies in Tibet. By introducing military personnel and a militarized environment into schools at such a young age, China appears to be directly targeting the core identity and values of Tibetan children, aiming to mold them into loyal subjects of the Chinese Communist Party and diminish their connection to their own rich cultural heritage.
