When I was born, the main avenue of education in Tibet was to be found in our many monasteries. This refined system of education focussed mostly on the Buddhist transmission that we had received centuries earlier, largely from India. It served us long and well. It produced many spiritually accomplished individuals, great scholars, and writers, and, of especial importance kept the values that we cherish alive and strong. Indeed, not only Tibetans, but also people from the regions surrounding Tibet would undertake long and arduous journeys to enroll in our educational institutions.
However, while our traditional education was admirable and worthy in so many ways, it eventually proved insufficient to equip us to face the rapid changes taking place in the world outside Tibet. In 1959 Tibet as we had known it was overwhelmed.
Early in our life in exile in India I had a key conversation with the Indian Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru in which he impressed on me that our children were our most precious resource. Therefore, he said, they should be well educated. And, while he stressed the importance of bringing up our children with a thorough knowledge of their own history and culture, he was equally determined that they should also be conversant with the ways of the modern world. I agreed with him wholeheartedly. So began a new project that has developed and grown into the Department of Education that oversees Tibetan education today.
Over the years, the people and the Government of India have given us Tibetans tremendous support, particularly in the field of education. They gave us financial assistance, found us buildings, and provided dedicated and experienced Indian teachers. In addition we received generous help from many foreign relief organizations. To all these friends I offer my deepest thanks. I cannot adequately express the gratitude I feel for the many who have so freely devoted their lives to helping my people, often in poor conditions and in remote areas.
Now, more than forty years on it is very gratifying to see the results of our efforts. Tibetan teachers, staff of the Department of Education and others have worked steadily to develop an education system that is both Tibetan and modern. The majority of the present staff of our government-in-exile and our community leaders was educated in our Tibetan schools. Several thousand refugee children have graduated from institutions of higher education, both in India and abroad. We have Tibetan educators, doctors, lawyers and other professionals, people who are capable of representing and governing their own country should they have the opportunity.
I believe too that we have been successful in many ways that could also serve as an example elsewhere. Most countries of the world today offer their children a modern education. This is very good in many ways, but too often it seems to be based on a universal acceptance of the importance of developing the brain, that is, on intellectual education. Insufficient attention is given to the development of the person as a whole in the sense of becoming a good person or developing a warm heart.
Education and knowledge are like an instrument. Whether that instrument is put to use in a constructive or destructive way depend on each person's motivation. An education system that cultivates smart brains alone can sometimes create more problems than it solves. However, it is noticeable that if a child with a good intellectual education happens to have parents with a warm heart and a sense of responsibility for both caring and discipline, than these can go together well and be very constructive. It is my hope that in future, not only the Tibetan educational system, but those in other places too, will pay specific attention to the development of human warmth and love.
These are moral questions related to the whole life of the individual, including his or her role in society and in the family. I believe that if we don't address them, we can't have a happy society. Whether we are teachers, parents or administrators, whatever our role, we need through our own practice and example to introduce children to the benefits of love, kindness, and a warm heart.
I believe that the progress that has been made under the auspices of our Department of Education in our schools and allied institutions has gone a long way towards fulfilling the needs of Tibetan children, which is something in which we can justifiably take pride. But that doesn't mean we can just relax, we need to keep up our effort and continue to try to improve.
A vivid example of how far we Tibetans have come in catching up with the modern world is the Department of Education's new website. Now anyone, anywhere in the world with access to the Internet, whether he or she is an ambitious and aspiring Tibetan student, a concerned parent, or an interested and well-intentioned supporter will be able to browse through the opportunities, achievements, hopes and plans of the Department. It is clearly laid out and open to all.
I congratulate all those who have contributed to creating this website and offer a warm welcome to everyone who visits it. Let us all work together in whatever way we can, not only to continue to improve the educational lot of the Tibetan children, but also, at the start of this new century, to creating a happier and more peaceful world.
March 5th, 2001