INTRODUCTION
Five years have elapsed since the last publication of the
Department of Education's information brochure. In the absence of
such a brochure for DOE, many people who take interest in our
activities have often asked questions such as: What are the
objectives of DOE? What is DOE doing to achieve them? What are DOE's
plans for future? etc. This brochure, DOE Info 95/96, though brief,
will answer these questions.
Our accomplishments are the outcomes of joint efforts on many
fronts. We remain indebted to the Government of India, various
foreign individuals and organizations, and community members for
their support. Since our goals are not yet accomplished, we earnestly
request your cooperation and assistance.
BACKGROUND
Tibet was Invaded by China in 1949. In 1959, His Holiness the
Dalai Lama and over 85,000 Tibetans fled to India, after 10 years of
unsuccessful attempt to negotiate with China. His Holiness presently
lives in Dharamsala, a small town In the northern Indian state of
Himachal Pradesh, where he heads the Tibetan government in exile,
also called the Central Tibetan Administration.
Currently, there are about 130,000 Tibetans in exile, the majority
of whom live in India (100,000) and Nepal (15,000). There are about
1,500 Tibetans in Bhutan.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DOE)
On coming into exile, one of the highest priorities of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama was the education of Tibetan children many of
whom were orphaned. He believed that the Tibetan children were the
main source of hope for a future free Tibet.
An educational system had to be implemented that would provide a
modern education to the Tibetan children while maintaining their
language and culture. Established in 1960 under the name 'Council for
Tibetan Education', the DOE is one of the seven major departments of
the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
Its aims and objectives are:
- To oversee the educational and welfare needs of Tibetan
refugee children in exile;
- To provide primary education for every Tibetan refugee child
in order to achieve 100 percent literacy among the Tibetan refugee
Community;
- To provide modern scientific and technical education and
skills, while preserving and promoting the Tibetan language and
culture;
- To inculcate values of personal integrity and universal
responsibility; and
- To address the human resource requirements of the Tibetan
Community in exile and future Tibet.
Initially, the DOE's activities were limited to schools. Now its
services have expanded to incorporate care of younger children (3-5
years), support and guidance for school graduates (17-18 years), and
either formal or non-formal education for adults. This expansion
includes the DOE's collaboration with other Tibetan institutions such
as, Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies (ClHTS), Varanasi;
Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (lBD), Dharamsala; Tibetan Institute
of Performing Arts (TIPA), Dharamsala; and Tibetan Cultural Printing
Press (TCPP), Dharamsala; to integrate their efforts for preservation
and promotion of the Tibetan cultural heritage.
Organizational structure of DOE
Headed by the Education Minister and the Education Secretary, DOE
Is divided into five sections, each name according to the nature of
its functions.
Education Minister
Education Secretary
Academic Section
Administrative Section
Sponsorship/Scholarlship Section
Publication Section
Project Section
The five sections are staffed by 34 members. 14 of them have been
appointed by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA); the remaining
20 have been directly hired by the Department.
SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND CATEGORIES
The DOE oversees the education and welfare of over 27,500 students
in 85 Tibetan schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan. By necessity, these
schools follow the education system of the country in which they are
located. The pattern of education; design and implementation of
curriculum; methods of teaching; and styles of school management in
these countries are frequently similar. Tibetan schools, however,
emphasize the incorporation of Tibetan language and culture within
the regular curriculum and after-school programs.
Table 1:Number at Schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan
|
SCHOOL CATEGORY
|
INDIA
|
NEPAL
|
BHUTAN
|
|
CTSA
|
31
|
0
|
0
|
|
DOE
|
16
|
13
|
4
|
|
AUTONOMOUS
|
|
|
|
|
1. TCV
|
15
|
0
|
0
|
|
2. THF
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
|
3. OTHERS
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
|
Total
|
68
|
13
|
4
|
The 85 Tibetan schools can be grouped into three categories
depending on which institution funds and administers them. Please see
Table 1
CTSA schools
At the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Government of
India, in 1961, established the Tibetan Schools Society (now called
Central Tibetan Schools Administration), an autonomous body regulated
by the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development, to "manage and
assist schools In India for education of th children of Tibetan
refugees".
The DOE firmly believes that every Tibetan child should given the
opportunity to receive a school education. It makes every effort to
help the children of poorer families to enter schools.
The Governing Body of Central Tibetan Schools Administration
(CTSA), its main administrative authority, is chaired by the Joint
Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Its members
consist of four Indians (two representatives of the Ministry of
External Affairs: one representative of the Ministry of Home Affairs;
and the Secretary of CTSA) and four Tibetans (Education Minister;
Education Secretary; the Secretary of the Bureau of His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, New Delhi; and the Director of the Central Institute of
Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi).
There are 31 CTSA schools whose enrollment is about 13,000
students. The five of them (CST, Mussoorie; CST, Shimla; CST,
Dalhousie; CST, Darjeeling; and CST, Mundgod) that provide hostel and
boarding facilities to a total of about 1,700 students are known as
'residential schools'. The remaining 26 that do not have such
facilities are known as 'day schools'. All services in the day
schools are provided free of cost. The CTSA also provides full school
fees for about 350 boarders in the residential schools; school fees
for the remaining 1,350 boarders are paid through the DOE.
The operation of the CTSA schools is essentially a joint venture
between the DOE and the CTSA. The DOE recommends candidates to the
CTSA for the appointment of a Tibetan 'rector' in each of the five
residential schools. Appointment of teachers for Tibetan language,
dance and music in all CTSA schools is based on recommendation from
the DOE.
DOE schools
There are 33 schools in this group. The 16 DOE schools in India
are directly funded and administered by the DOE. The 13 schools in
Nepal and 4 schools in Bhutan are given more independence. In case of
financial need, these schools have recourse to the DOE. The DOE
provides support and guidance to the Tibetan students from Nepal and
Bhutan who come to India to either complete their schooling or to
pursue higher education.
Autonomous schools
The 21 schools in this group comprise of 15 schools that are
funded and administered by Tibetan Children's Village (TCV),
Dharamsala; 2 schools that are funded and administered by Tibetan
Homes Foundation (THF), Mussoorie; and 4 schools that are managed by
other Tibetan charitable organizations.
STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION
The modern secular education that the Tibetan students in India ,
Nepal and Bhutan typically receive is based on a structure that
consists of: (a) 2-3 years of pre school education in
crèches/day care centers; (b) 12 years of school education;
and (c) 3 or more years of post school education. Please see Figure
2.
In India, for example, Tibetan schools are affiliated to the
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi, and follow
the '10 + 2' education pattern. This scheme consists of 10 years of
general education and 2 years of diversified into four levels;
primary (class 1-5), middle (class 6-8), secondary (class 9-10), and
senior secondary (class 11-12). Currently, four fields of study are
offered at the senior secondary level in Tibetan schools: (a) arts;
(b) science; (c) commerce; and (d) vocational education.
|
Doctorate |
|
|
Postdoctoral |
|
|
Professional Study & Research |
|
| 25 |
(3+) |
8 |
| 24 |
|
7 |
| 23 |
|
6 |
| 22 |
Master's |
Professional |
5 |
| 21 |
Program(2) |
Degree Program(4.5) |
4 |
| 20 |
Bachelor's |
Vocational or |
3 |
| 19 |
Program(3) |
training(1.2) |
2 |
| 18 |
|
|
1 |
| 17 |
Senior Secondary |
Vocational |
12 |
| 16 |
School(2) |
or training ( 2, 3, 4 ) |
11 |
| 15 |
Secondary |
|
10 |
| 14 |
School(2) |
|
9 |
| 13 |
|
|
8 |
| 12 |
Middle School |
|
7 |
| 11 |
|
|
6 |
| 10 |
|
|
5 |
| 9 |
|
|
4 |
| 8 |
Primary |
School |
3 |
| 7 |
(5) |
|
2 |
| 6 |
|
|
1 |
| 5 |
|
UKG |
| 4 |
Pre School |
LKG |
| 3 |
( 2, 3 ) |
Creche |
| Age |
|
Class |
Table 2 shows that the 85 Tibetan schools are comprised of 40
primary schools; 24 middle schools, 10 secondary schools; and 11
senior secondary schools.
Table 2: Distribution of Schools in Different School Levels
|
School Category
|
Level of School
|
|
|
Primary (1-5)
|
Middle (6-8)
|
Secondary (9-10)
|
Senior Sec (11-12)
|
|
CTSA
|
8
|
10
|
5
|
8
|
|
DOE
|
21
|
10
|
2
|
0
|
|
Autonomous
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 TCV
|
9
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
2 THF
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
3 Others
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
40
|
24
|
10
|
11
|
SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
The Tibetan school network currently has an enrollment of about
27,585 students. Table 3 shows the distribution of these students in
India, Nepal and Bhutan.
Table 3:Distribution of Students in India, Nepal and Bhutan
|
School Category
|
India
|
Nepal
|
Bhutan
|
|
CTSA
|
12,662
|
0
|
0
|
|
DOE
|
2,074
|
2,074
|
176
|
|
AUTONOMOUS
|
|
|
|
|
1. TCV
|
7,911
|
0
|
0
|
|
2. THF
|
1,498
|
0
|
0
|
|
3. OTHERS
|
1,498
|
0
|
0
|
|
Total
|
24,821
|
24,821
|
176
|
Table 4: Distribution of Students in Different School Levels
|
School Level
|
Number of Students
|
|
Preschool (KG)
|
4,442
|
|
Primary (1-5)
|
12,738
|
|
Middle (6-8)
|
6,458
|
|
Senior Secondary (9-10)
|
2,547
|
|
Senior Secondary (11-12)
|
1,400
|
|
Total
|
27,585
|
Although Tibetan schools are essentially established to cater to
the educational and welfare needs of Tibetan children, non-Tibetan
children are sometimes admitted given special circumstances.
Presently, non-Tibetan children constitute about 10 percent of the
total student population within the Tibetan school network.
According to the second IDP survey (1994), about 25 percent or
30,000 of the total Tibetan refugee population in India, Nepal and
Bhutan were of the school age (6-17). The current school enrollment
of 27,585 students includes 4,442 children below the age of 6 and
about 2,300 non-Tibetan students between class 1 and 12. It is
estimated, therefore, that about 70 percent of the school age (6-17
years old) Tibetans in exile receive school education within the
Tibetan school network. About 3,000 Tibetan students attend
non-Tibetan schools due to scarcity of vacancy in the existing
Tibetan schools. A substantial portion of the 20 percent school are
Tibetans who do are not covered by the Tibetan school network of the
non-Tibetan schools may be enrolled in various Tibetan monastic
institutions. Please see Figure 3.
Figure 3 : Enrollment of School-age (6-17) Tibetans
|
Tibetan Schools | 70%
|
|
Others | 20%
|
|
Non-Tibetan schools | 10%
|
CURRICULUM AND TEXTBOOKS
Tibetan schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan follow a school
curriculum approved by a Board of Education which is recognized by
their respective national governments. Tibetan schools in India, for
example, use textbooks in English, published by the National Council
for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi. These
textbooks are based on the curriculum prescribed by the Central Board
of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi.
Tibetan language, history and culture, however, constitute a major
part of the curriculum in all Tibetan schools. The DOE designs and
publishes Tibetan language textbooks for all school grades. Since
July 1994, DOE has endorsed the use of Tibetan as the language of
instruction at the primary level (class 1-5) in all Tibetan schools.
The necessary primary school textbooks are publishes by the Education
Development and Research Center (EDRC), based at Tibetan Children's
Village (TCV), Dharamsala.
TEACHER TRAINING
Teachers of Tibetan language, history and culture are trained at
the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD), Dharamsala, and the
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS), Varansi.
Training for the Tibetan dance and music teachers are organized at
the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Dharamsala. Training
of teachers for other school subjects, however, takes place at
various institutes/colleges of Teacher Education throughout India.
Every year, DOE, TCV and THF provide significant number of
scholarships to prospective candidates for teaching careers. They
also organize in-service teacher training to keep their current
teachers abreast of developments in education.
SCHOLARSHIPS
An average of 600 students graduate from school each year. About
200 of them (30 percent) receive scholarships for further education
(ranging from certificate courses to higher degrees), through DOE,
TCV, THF and other institutions. Currently, there are about 800
students in India and about 50 students abroad pursuing post school
education.
During the four-year period (1990-93), DOE, TCV and CTSA together
provided 632 scholarships for studies in India. The scholarship
recipients were 64 percent male and 36 percent female. The
distribution of these scholarships for three levels of education was:
(a) 15 percent for students who had dropped out of school; (b) 79
percent for students who had completed their senior secondary school;
and (c) 6 percent for college graduates.
Table 5 shows the percentage breakdown of these scholarships for
different subject areas.
Table 5 : Scholarships Provided by DOE and TCV (1990-93)
|
Subject Area
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
Arts and social sciences
|
26%
|
12%
|
38%
|
|
Education
|
3%
|
7%
|
10%
|
|
Legal and business
|
11%
|
4%
|
15%
|
|
Science and technology
|
14%
|
6%
|
20%
|
|
Vocational studies
|
10%
|
7%
|
17%
|
|
Total
|
64%
|
36%
|
100%
|
All scholarships offered through DOE are granted after the
consideration, verification and collective decisions of two different
committees. First, the DOE Scholarship Committee, chaired by the
Education Secretary and comprised of seven other responsible staff
members of DOE, handles scholarship awards for studies within India.
Second, the High Level Scholarship Committee (HSLC), chaired by the
Senior Kalon (representative of the Cabinet) and comprised of the
Education Minister, the Education Secretary and five other Department
secretaries, deals with scholarship awards for studies abroad. The
previous community service and excellent academic background of an
applicant are frequently the standards for consideration of both the
Committees.
Recipients of DOE, TCV, or THF scholarships have the obligation to
serve within the Tibetan community for a specific period of time
after the completion of their studies. About 80 percent of
scholarship recipients have complied with this requirement.
SOURCES AND USES OF FUNDS
The main sources of funds for educational expenditures are: the
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA); the Government of India:
parents; individual donors; and non-governmental organizations
(NGO's).
The Government of India supports the education of Tibetan children
by subsidizing the CTSA schools' expenditures. This is a substantial
contribution considering that the CTSA schools enroll about 40
percent of the entire student population in the Tibetan school
network. The DOE and Autonomous schools rely on contributions from
foreign individuals and NGO's more then on the Government of India.
Increasing number of Tibetan parents are encouraged to contribute
whatever they can towards the education of their children.
Figure 4 shows a typical pattern of utilization of funds available
with DOE.
Figure 4: Uses of Educational Funds
|
School Education
|
52%
|
|
Preschool Education
|
2%
|
|
Post School Education
|
16%
|
|
Project
|
18%
|
|
Administrative
|
7%
|
|
Training
|
5%
|
Based on the second IDP survey (1994), the total annual
expenditure on education was just under half of the financial
resources of all the central institutions of the Tibetan Refugee
Community. This reflects the priority that the Community is giving to
the investment in its human resource development.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Over the last 35 years, our major achievements have been:
- DOE and some Tibetan institutions (e.g., Tibetan Children's
Village and Tibetan Homes Foundation) have been able to establish
their own schools, which now enroll about 60 percent of the
student population within the Tibetan school network.
- During the ten-year period (1984-1994), there was an increase
of 42 percent in the enrollment of students in Tibetan schools in
India, Nepal and Bhutan. Currently, about 70 percent of school-age
(6-17) Tibetan children receive formal education within the
Tibetan school network.
- The literacy rate of the Tibetan Community in exile has
increased form 30 percent in 1986 to about 40 percent in 1994. The
rate is expected to go much higher with the rise in school
enrollment during the coming years.
- About 90 percent of the officials in the Central Tibetan
Administration (CTA) have received their education in the Tibetan
school systems.
- Up to 1994, over 3,000 students in exile had completed their
university education. Many among them were professionals (e.g.,
doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, journalists, computer
programmers, etc.)
- Up to 1994, over 4,200 students had completed secondary school
education. About 600 students finish school each year. Please see
Figure 5. When they leave school, these students will not only
have acquire the best of modern secular education, but will also
have maintained their native language and culture.
All these achievements surpass the Chinese rhetoric about their
efforts to educate and train Tibetans in Tibet under their so-called
program of 'liberalization and modernization of Tibet'.
PROGRAMS
Our mission is not yet completed. Some of our pressing problems
are:
Exodus of new Tibetan refugees
Between 1989 and 1993, about 12,500 Tibetans have
sought refuge in India. Over 60 percent (7,500) of them were under 25
years old. About 5,000 of the under 25's have been admitted to
schools; the remaining 2,500 need urgent attention.
Failure to provide education to all
There are over 6,000 school-age (6-17) Tibetan
children in exile who do not receive any formal education. About
3,000 Tibetan children attend non-Tibetan schools due to lack of
vacancies in the existing Tibetan schools.
High dropout rate
It is estimated that the average annual rate of
students dropping out of schools is quite low at 9 percent. However,
the drop-out rate varies across the different stages of school
education. The middle level (class 6-8) has the highest drop-out rate
(43%) followed by the secondary lever (32%), the senior secondary
level (21%), and the primary level (4%).
Shortage of teachers
There is a perennial shortage of teachers for some
specific school subjects such as, Tibetan language, Tibetan dance and
music, science, and mathematics. Lack of scholarships for further
studies in these subjects, and the generally low pay for teaching
careers are believed to be the major causes of the problem.
Decline in the quality of education
Conclusion of various studies and reports on Tibetan
education in exile generally agree that there has been a decline in
quality of education since the mid-1970's. We understand the
significance of factors such as: (a) in-service teacher training, (b)
innovative teaching techniques and aids, (c) library facilities, (d)
science kits, (e) reading materials in Tibetan language. Yet, we fail
to adequately meet these requirements, primarily due to shortage of
funds.
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
To address the problems mentioned above, the DOE has planned five
major programs for implementation.
School Expansion Program
Construction, renovation and upgrading of schools are
the major activities of this program.
Teacher and Academic Development Program
This program includes in-service teacher training,
raises in the salaries of teachers, implementation of the plan to use
Tibetan as the language of instruction, and training teachers for
Tibetan language, dance and music.
Scientific, Professional and Vocational Education Program
The major activities of this program are the
establishment of a special cell within DOE to improve science
education in schools and to offer scholarships for academic degrees
and vocational studies.
Tibetan Publication Program
This program includes the writing, designing and
publication of Tibetan language textbooks, magazines in Tibetan, and
the preparation of English-Tibetan dictionaries.
Health Care Program
The major activities of this program are the
supplementing of diet, the improvement of general medical facilities
and the prevention of Tuberculosis (TB) in schools.
A VOTE OF THANKS
We remain indebted to the Government of India, community members,
foreign individual donors and aid-organizations for their support
that had made our achievements possible.
AN APPEAL FOR HELP
We earnestly request for your assistance. Please use the Appeal
Response Form to indicate your choice(s) of contribution to
fulfilling our goal.
Table 7 shows the projects for immediate implementation. Table 8
shows the projects for future implementation.
Table 7: Current Projects
|
No
|
PROGRAMME AND PROJECTS
|
REQUESTED
US $
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SCHOOL EXPANSION
|
|
|
1
|
Expansion of Namgyal Boarding School
|
380,000
|
|
2
|
Purchase of land for new school complex in Gangtok,
Sikkim
|
130,000
|
|
3
|
Phase I: Construction of school complex, CST Manali
|
54,000
|
|
4
|
Phase II: Constuction of staff quarter, CST Manali
|
69,000
|
|
5
|
Upgradation of Namgyal High School
|
31,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SCIENTIFIC, PROFESSIONAL AND
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
|
|
|
6
|
Scholarship for academic studies
|
500
|
|
7
|
Scholarship for vocational studies
|
300
|
|
8
|
Tibetan langauge teacher training
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TEACHER AND ACADEMIC
DEVELOPMENT
|
|
|
9
|
Books for school libraries
|
6,000
|
|
10
|
In-service teacher training
|
13,000
|
|
11
|
Primary education in Tibetan language
|
33,000
|
|
12
|
Staff salary increment
|
54,000
|
|
13
|
Tibetan dance anc music teacher training
|
21,000
|
|
14
|
Tibetan literature program
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TIBETAN PUBLICATION
|
|
|
15
|
Advanced English-Tibetan dictionary
|
50,000
|
|
16
|
Gangjong childrenís magazine
|
8,000
|
|
17
|
Illustrated English-Tbetan dictionary
|
33,000
|
Table 8: Future Projects
|
S.NO
|
PROGRAMME AND PROJECTS
|
REQUESTED
US $
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HEALTH CARE
|
|
|
1
|
Mid-day meal
|
10,000
|
|
2
|
School TB project
|
39,000
|
|
3
|
School Medicare project
|
12,000
|
|
4
|
School dispensary project
|
8,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SCHOOL EXPANSION
|
|
|
5
|
New school somplex in Gangtok, Sikkim
|
407,000
|
|
6
|
Hostel construction at CST Mussoorie
|
112,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SCIENTIFIC, PROFESSIONAL AND
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
|
|
|
7
|
Science cell at DOE
|
75,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TIBETAN PUBLICATION
|
|
|
8
|
Folk tales for children
|
2,000
|
|
9
|
Childrenís story books
|
6,000
|
|
10
|
Gesar for children
|
2,000
|
THE SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE
|
Total schools
|
85
|
|
Total students
|
27,585
|
|
School location
|
India, Nepal and Bhutan
|
|
Language of instruction
|
Tibetan/ English
|
|
Pattern of education
|
10 + 2 (ten years of general education and two years of
diversified curriculum)
|
|
School categories
|
3 (CTSA, DOE, AUTONOMOUS)
|
|
Average male/female student ratio
|
100 : 90
|
|
Average teacher/student ratio
|
1 : 20
|
|
Average annual graduates
|
600
|
|
Average annual school drop-out rate
|
9%
|
|
|
