New era of freedom and development:

Human rights in Tibet

R Jinith de Silva

With the intervention of China’s Central Government in 1959 theocracy in Tibet ended, dawning a new era of freedom and development. A new development program was initiated by the Central Government with the Provincial Government which is still effective in Tibet. The outcome of this is a massive human resource development in Tibet.

There are few indices with which the development taken place in Tibet could be measured and substantiated. Population growth rate, average life expectancy and average education level are such indices. During the last 52 years the world has witnessed in China’s Tibet a great leap in human resource development and a society making a steady progress towards prosperity.

Population

About 90 percent of the population of Tibet comprises tribes and the balance are people of HAN community. The population increased two fold during the last 50 years from 1,228,000 in 1957 to 2,870,800 in 2008. Compulsory family planning currently effective to other parts of China is not enforced on farmers and herdsmen of Tibet. The canard that the Tibetan nation is being decimated by Chinese does not calling any weight due to above facts. The average life expectancy was 35 years in 1959. But today it has gone up to 67 years. The mortality rate among expectant women prior to 1959 was 28 percent. Today it has come down to three percent.

Education

The Central Government has taken several steps during the last 52 years towards the advancement of education. The development of education is a sine qua non for the development of human resources.

Prior to 1959 education was based around temples. Those schools were out of bounds for the children of farmers and herdsman.

Everything changed with the revolution of 1959. Today the literacy rate of the people is 96 percent. By 2008 there were 1,017 primary schools, 10 technical colleges and 10 Universities. The education imparted in these schools carries the hallmark of national identity of Tibetan people. The Provincial Government has made it compulsory to every child to have six years of school education.

By 2008, there were 311,800 children studying in primary schools and this represented an enrollment rate of 98.5 percent. There were 139,900 students in junior schools and that represented an enrollment rate of 92.2 percent. The same year there were 44,600 students studying in senior high schools and that represented an enrollment rate of 51 percent. At present the local population receive an average 6.3 years of education reducing the illiteracy rate to 2.4 percent.

Technical schools

The first technical school was created in Tibet with the reforms that took place with the change. Today there are 10 such schools in Tibet where more than 21,000 study. Higher technical education commenced with the 10th five-year plan implemented between 2001 and 2005. Today more than 5,000 students study in the said higher technical schools. Doors of the Universities and other higher educational institutes of entire China are open to students of Tibet. Presently Tibetans study in more than 90 Universities and other educational institutes all over China.

Tibetan language

It is a constitutional requirement that when creating autonomous regions the language of that particular region should be preserved in its pristine form. Therefore preserving and developing the vernacular languages of particular area is the responsibility of the administration of that area.

Accordingly the local administration has made necessary arrangements to teach Tibetan Languages in 880 primary schools and 1,351 higher educational institutions. Therefore the allegation the central government of scheming to destroy the Tibetan Language is an absolute canard.

Medical care

Prior to 1959 the health care in Tibet was in a very primitive state. There were only four hospitals and about 400 health workers.

After the change in 1959 workers employed in urban areas managed to obtain health insurance facilities through their employers. The farmers and herdsmen receive free medical care and the regional government has spent 1.8 billion Yuan for the development of health services during the past 52 years. Out of this amount 20 million has been spent for the health services of farmers and herdsmen.

By 2008 the number of health centres rose to 1,339. The number of hospital beds increased from 480 in 1,959 to 7,127 in 2008. The number of hospital beds and medical workers for every 1,000 residents in Tibet was higher than the national average and was also higher than the average level of middle-income countries.

Housing

Prior to 1959 more than 90 percent of the population of Tibet had no proper dwelling houses.

With the 10th five-year plan for economic development (2001-2005) a colossal sum was spent by the regional Government to improve housing. During this period out of 400,000 farmer families about 100,000 received houses.

The regional government provided houses to 219,800 families which had a population of 1,252,000 during the 11th five-year economic development plan (2006-2010). By 2010 the regional government was able to provide decent houses to about 80 percent of the farmers and herdsmen. The per capita housing area for farmers and herdsmen has now reached 22.83 square meters which is close to national average.

Water supply

By 2010 the provincial administration was able to provide clean water to most of the farmers, herdsmen and animals reared by them.

A sum of Yuan 500 million has been spent by the provincial administration during the 10th five-year plan (2001-2005) creating 4,525 projects for this purpose.

These projects provided clean water to 80,000 farmers and herdsmen and to 5.56 million animals. Up to 2007 the Central Government too had spent Yuan 450 million to improve the water supply to the said farmers and herdsmen. Through these projects about 600,000 farmers and herdsmen were provided with pipe- borne water. Plans were underway to provide pipe-borne water to all the people of Tibet by 2012.

Energy

Prior to 1959 the main source of fuel for domestic use was firewood. As use of fuels such as hay and cowdung were not environment friendly the regional government introduced solar power and methane to Tibet after 1959. Up to 2008 it has spent 5.2 million Yuan for this purpose.

Income level

Around 61.7 percent of the population of Tibet are farmers and herdsmen. The balance are urban dwellers.

By 2008 the per capita net income of the farmers and herdsmen was Yuan 3,176. It was a 18 percent increase by 1978 levels. Between 1978-2008 annual average income of the said farmers and herdsmen increased by 10 percent.

Therefore with the efforts of the Central Government and the Provincial Government Human Resources Development in Tibet goes hand in hand with other provinces of China.

The writer is former Secretary of Sri Lanka - China Society