Hello again Delegates!
I hope you all are doing well as we near the weekend of conference. My fellow chairs and I have been working hard grading your papers and getting them back to you in a timely manner. We can’t wait to see what ideas you bring to the table! I recently read an article on the treatment of Uyghur children in Xinjiang boarding schools, and I thought it’d be highly beneficial to share.
The NPR article details the heart-wrenching story of Aysu and Lütfullah Kuçar, a pair of Uyghur siblings who spent nearly two years in Chinese state boarding schools. In these facilities, they were each indoctrinated in Chinese political ideology, both unable to speak their mother tongues by the end of the ordeal. Life in the dormitory was bleak, and quality food was scarce. Punishments for minor infractions ranged from painful stress positions to being sent to the school’s basement, where children were locked alone in the dark for hours.
From this article, I hope it becomes apparent to everyone the devastating and horrific effects of these “schools” on Uyghur children. Feng’s writing sparks an interesting conversation on how education can become indoctrination for young, vulnerable groups, and subsequently destroy tradition, language, and values. I encourage you all to consider these consequences and comment below your country’s position and/or solutions regarding the dissolution (or preservation) of Xinjiang boarding schools.
--Alaina
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