From Chinese Press

My visit to Tibet

By Sirkka Korpela (Global Times)
Updated: 2010-08-04 11:06

I had a chance to talk to some educators in Tibet. I asked them about the language used in primary education, weary of the alleged loss of the Tibetan language in the formal education system. I was told the kids learn three languages: Tibetan, Chinese and English! I had thought my own children were something of a special case, as they have been learning French, Spanish and Finnish since they started schooling, but I realize these Tibetan kids will be as internationally literate as my children are, with all the same opportunities that will provide them in life.

Finally, during our trip to the countryside outside of Lhasa, I had a chance to see many of the new housing programs, sponsored and subsidized by the government. I had to remind myself that in the past many Tibetans did not have a house of their own. Most of the old dwellings included the domestic animals in the same quarters as the family. In one point I could see the old and the new house being built for a family; they were just about to move into the new quarters. What a difference in terms of space, quality of materials and commodities (including separate toilets, sometimes using water to flush)!

Then there was a family of herdsmen; being summer, they were living in their tent (and beside the tent there was a small solar panel for generating electricity enough for hot water, TV, and the lights in the evening), however they told us they already had a fix house in the village, where they would stay during the winter. And best of all: the government is subsidizing 30% of the new housing, which has been built in collaborative efforts by the villagers, and display the characteristics of the traditional Tibetan culture, both in terms of the materials used and the colorful decorations in the main rooms inside.

These houses are very bright, spacious and beautifully decorated. I saw several generations living there together. What I hadn't realized before is that the life expectancy of a Tibetan used to be a mere 35 years – couldn't see so many generations there together in the past – whereas now the life expectancy has doubled to 67 years. This is not only an impressive testament of the improvement of the human rights in Tibet during the past 50 years, but it also provides the old folks the opportunity to tell their grandchildren what life was like in the past. They will pass on the best of the Tibetan culture to their grandchildren, and they will also be able to tell how much life has improved since 1959!

The author is the former United Nations Ambassador to Bolivia.