A booke to teach how to speak Tibetan language. (File Photo)

For several decades the Tibetan Autonomous Region has maintained a bilingual education system. Teaching of the Tibetan language has received special emphasis in schools. These have contributed to a renaissance of the local dialect.

The No. 2 Primary School is located in the Chengguan District of Lhasa. As on any other morning, the Tibetan language is being taught to twelve classes.

Tsering sangpo, teacher, said, "The arrangement with the Education Bureau, calls for at least 1440 hours of Tibetan lessons to be taught each school term. The Tibetan language is also a major subject at our school. That will ensure the students can adapt to Tibetan courses in middle schools and even colleges. The aim is to maintain the local cultural tradition."

Currently, Tibetan is a major language used in all primary and middle schools in the autonomous region. At schools in farming and herding areas, most lessons are taught in Tibetan. Standard Chinese language is also taught. So far, local authorities have formulated and enacted regulations that assure teaching of the Tibetan language. All students of the Tibetan ethnic group are required to learn the local dialect as a major subject. Written examinations for subjects taught in the Tibetan language are written in the same language.

According to the Tibetan Language Working Committee, the teaching of language has been flourishing, as the local culture receives unprecedented attention.

Over the past twenty years, the Tibetan University has trained more than 13 thousand Tibetan language teachers for local middle schools.

(CCTV April 18,2008)