P7_TA(2010)0449 Tibet - plans to make Chinese the main language of instruction European Parliament resolution of 25 November 2010 on Tibet – plans to make Chinese the main language of instruction The European Parliament, – having regard to its previous resolutions on China and Tibet, in particular its resolution of 10 April 2008 on Tibet1, – having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure, A. whereas respect for human rights and freedom of identity, culture and religion is a founding principle of the European Union and a priority of its foreign policy, B. whereas the People’s Republic of China has expressed a desire for harmonious ethnic relations among all 56 ethnic minorities, C. whereas on 19 October 2010 approximately 1 000 ethnic Tibetan students marched through Tongren, also known as Rebkong, peacefully opposing a plan to establish Mandarin Chinese as the main language of instruction in schools in the region; whereas on 23 October 2010 the protest spread to Qingai province and Beijing, where 400 Tibetan students studying at Minsu university staged a demonstration, D. whereas the Tibetan language, as one of Asia’s four oldest and most original languages, is a fundamental catalyst for Tibetan identity, culture and religion, but also, together with Tibetan culture as a whole, constitutes an irreplaceable part of the world’s heritage; whereas the Tibetan language, the testimony to a historically rich civilisation, is a fundamental and irreplaceable element of Tibetan identity, culture and religion, E. whereas languages express the social and cultural attitudes of a community, whereas the shared language of a community is a key determinant of culture, and whereas languages convey very specific social and cultural behaviours and ways of thinking, F. whereas it has been established that mother-tongue bilingual education is the most effective path to successful bilingualism for Tibetans, and whereas this ‘model 1 bilingual education policy’ has consistently led to the highest college placement rates for Tibetan high school students across the Tibetan region, G. whereas in elementary, middle and high schools in all areas covered by the Tibet Autonomous Regional government, the Tibetan language is gradually being replaced by Chinese, and official documents are usually unavailable in Tibetan, H. whereas changes to education policy would limit the use of the Tibetan language in schools, since all textbooks and subjects, except for Tibetan and English language classes, would be in Mandarin Chinese, 1 OJ C 247 E, 15.10.2009, p. 5.