Thousands of ethnic Tibetan students have staged protests in northwestern China against what they call the erosion of their culture and language. A London-based rights group quoting eyewitnesses said, about 9,000 students from six Tibetan schools took to the streets on Tuesday in Qinghai province's Rebkong county calling for respect for their ancient culture. The protests were sparked by education reforms in Rebkong requiring all subjects to be taught in Mandarin and all textbooks to be printed in Chinese except for Tibetan-language and English classes. The area is home to three important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. It was the scene of violent anti-Chinese protests in March 2008.