project summary
Qinghai and Gansu Senior Middle School Project

project goals & context | project description | planned activities | activities & achievements

project goals & context

In 2005, as part of its ongoing commitment to improving the quality of education in Tibetan areas, Trace Foundation launched the Qinghai & Gansu Senior Middle School Project (QGSMSP). Building on the foundation's work at the middle school level, the QGSMSP is a multi-pronged initiative designed to improve access to and quality of Tibetan-medium education at eight key senior middle schools in Qinghai and Gansu provinces.

project goals & context | project description | planned activities | activities & achievements

project description

Middle school is a critical juncture for Tibetan students, preparing them for employment, college entrance exams, and higher education. In the provinces of Qinghai and Gansu, however, Tibetan middle schools are often constrained by a lack of resources for teacher training, learning materials, and new mother-tongue education research. In addition, many poor families cannot afford school fees, forcing promising Tibetan students to abandon their education prematurely. To strengthen the quality of education in Tibetan areas of these provinces, the QGSMSP partnered with eight Tibetan-medium senior middle schools to increase teacher and administrator training, develop infrastructure and learning resources, create student scholarships, and improve mother-tongue education strategies. Project activities were guided by the eight QGSMSP partner schools, selected for their key locations in Tibetan areas, their commitment to creating a replicable model relevant to other local schools, and their strong relationships with local education bureaus. Project activities focused on:

Training school teachers and administrators;
Improving school facilities;
Increasing access to and the quality of teaching materials;
Financially supporting local students;
Building connections with other mother-tongue education systems.

project goals & context | project description | planned activities | activities & achievements

activities & achievements to date

School staff training:

459 teachers trained: Through intensive training during school breaks, 459 middle school teachers expanded their Tibetan-medium teaching skills and improved their respective subject area knowledge in math, physics, chemistry, biology, Tibetan, Chinese, computer science, geography, history, and politics.
21 school administrators trained: 21 school principals and administrators improved their school management techniques, teaching methodology, and knowledge of mother-tongue education policies through intensive, short-term training.

School facilities support:

4 school science laboratories upgraded: Through cost-sharing with partner schools, Trace Foundation upgraded equipment for physics, chemistry, math, geography, and biology laboratories in Chentsa County Nationalities Middle School, Repgong County Nationalities Middle School, Tsolho Prefecture Nationalities Middle School, and Yüshü Integrated Vocational School, bringing the schools up to the national standard for science resources and making them the best-equipped schools in Qinghai Province.

Teaching resources:

Learning materials expanded in multiple languages: All partner schools were equipped with new supplementary learning materials, including dictionaries, textbooks, and language learning resources in Tibetan, Chinese, and English.
32 new, teacher-designed, Tibetan-medium resources: Through a competitive small-grants program, 32 innovative teachers created new Tibetan-medium teaching resources, including math review books, model teaching plans, and physics exercise books. All eight partner schools are now using these new resources.

Student funds:

565 student scholarships awarded: A merit-based scholarship fund allowed 565 students who could not afford school fees to continue their education at the senior middle school level.

Bilingual education policy and strategy research:

21 education leaders forged new links: Through a study tour to Inner Mongolia, 21 school administrators and education bureau leaders learned from successful mother-tongue education strategies in other minority areas of China.
Senior education officials introduced to new models: Senior education officials from the Five Regions Tibetan Education Coordinating Office (FRTECO) traveled to Hong Kong to learn from successful mother-tongue education models.

project goals & context | project description | planned activities | activities & achievements

project summary Qinghai and Gansu Senior Middle School Project

project goals & context

project description

activities & achievements to date

project: quick facts

project summary
Qinghai and Gansu Senior Middle School Project