From the new Secretarys' desk
"As I join this department as its newest member let me first wish a very happy seasons greetings to one and all alike. We have the enormous responsibility of overseeing the education and welfare needs of all Tibetan refugee children, the future seeds of a free and prosperous Tibet. It is also our responsibility to help preserve the rich cultural heritage of our community as well as its identity.

Towards the above end, I wish to express my sincere thanks to the people and the Government of India as well as our friends and well wishers across the globe for the help you have extended all these years. I would like to specially take this opportunity to request you all for your continued and valued support. Last but not the least, I would like to thank all the staff members for their commitment and dedication towards the above end and look forward to your continued cooperation and dedication as well.

Tashi Delek ! "

Outgoing Secretary's Message
"As the outgoing Secretary of this department, I sincerely wish to express my gratitude to all our friends and my wishes to the staff at DoE and in the schools who have been discharging their duties with a deep sense of dedication and commitment in their respective capacities. I also wish all success to the new Secretary Mr. Tsering Dhundup.

Tashi Delek !"

New DoE Secretary appointed
Mr. Tsering Dhundup took over the department as the new Education Secretary on March 20th this 2000. He replaces Mr. Tsering Wangyal who is proceeding on a two year extended leave. Prior to his latest assignment, Mr. Dhundup who is a very senior officer served as Additional Secretary in the Audit Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTSA) of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala.

CTSA Secretary visits DoE
Shri. M.K. Rao, Secretary of Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA), New Delhi, paid a three-day visit to Dharamsala from February 21st through 23rd this year. While here, he had meetings with the Education Minister, Secretary and department officials on various matters relating to bringing about overall improvement in the Tibetan schools. He was the Chief Guest at the inaugural function of the Primary teachers In-service course conducted by DoE at the IBD, Dharamsala. Mr. Rao gave lectures on self-esteem and child centered learning and the role of a teacher. The participants found the lectures immensely benefiting. During his stay, he also visited the Tibetan Children's Village School (TCV). Mr. C. Dharuman, Education Officer, CTSA accompanied him.

Intensive Teachers' Training Course
A special three months intensive Primary teachers' training course was conducted by the department at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD), Sarah, Dharamsala, from December 20th 1999 through March 20th last. Twenty-five untrained teachers serving in Tibetan Schools throughout Nepal successfully completed the course. The program focussed on the methods of teaching all primary level subjects including child psychology, Tibetan language, history and Buddhist philosophy among others.

In-service Training for Primary Teachers
The department conducted an in-service training course for primary teachers from February 22nd through March 8th last at the IBD. Thirty-five primary teachers from twenty-four Tibetan schools attended the course. The training mainly focussed on the child centered learning methodology in the teaching of Science and Mathematics through Tibetan medium. In addition, instructions on teaching of Tibetan language and the basics on computer education were given to the participants. Dr. V.P. Gupta a mathematician and an education expert from the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) was a special invitee as a resource person. Mr. M. K. Rao, Secretary, CTSA, was the chief guest during the workshop's inauguration which was presided by Education Minister Mrs. Rinchen Khando Choegyal. Mr. C. Dharuman, Education Officer, CTSA, New Delhi was also present on the occasion.

New Appointments
Mr. Tsering Samdup joined this department on December 16th 1999 as the new Education Officer for Tibetan language. With an Acharya degree (equivalent to MA) he has over eight years of teaching experience. Prior to joining us, he was the assistant headmaster at TCV Suja, near Dharamsala. Miss. Chemi Tseyang, Under Secretary, joined us on January 24th this year. She has been assigned to the sponsorship section. Mr. Dhundup Tsering was appointed as the new accountant from March 20th this year while Mr. Phurbhu Dorjee joined this department on December 1st 1999 as the new artist in the publication section.

New Rector appointed
Mr. Tsering Lhakpa has been appointed on deputation as the new school Rector at CST, Dalhousie from March 21st this year. He replaces Mr. Tsewang Norbu who has been transferred to CST Mussoorie. Prior to his new appointment, Mr. Lhakpa served as Headmaster at Shri. Srongtsen Brikuti Boarding School in Kathmandu, Nepal, and has to his credit many years of teaching and administrative experience.

Math Textbook Review
The Tibetan language Math's Text books of classes IV and V which were introduced earlier on trial basis has been reviewed and finalized. The revised textbooks will now be available from the next academic session in beginning July 2000.

Staff Transfer
Mrs. Tendel Sangmo, Section in-charge, sponsorship section left the department on June 7 on transfer to her new posting as the representative of Bir Tibetan Society, Bir, Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Wangyal Donkhang, Joint Secretary joined the department in her place.

Schools downgraded
Four DOE direct run primary schools viz. CST Lhakhanwala, CST Sataun, CST Tashijong and Tibetan Day School, Nanital have been downgraded to pre-primary level due to steady decline in student enrolment. The change will come into effect from the beginning of the new school session i.e. July 1,1999. The children currently attending primary classes

First Graduating Class from CST Paonta
This year saw the first batch of sixteen students graduate high school from CST Paonta. The students appeared in the Class XII (Arts) All India Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the Central Board for Secondary Education(CBSE), New Delhi and secured 94% pass percentage. Mr. Karma Chungdak, Education Officer DOE attended the farewell ceremony held on April 10 at the school.

Tibetan Schools fare well in CBSE Examination

CATEGORY	(Class X Pass %)	(Class XII Pass %)
CTSA	74.12	88.48
AUTONOMOUS*	73.28	88.48
STSA	64.28	94.11

Class XII Individual Toppers

Student	Subjects	Percentage	School
Thupten Gyaltsen	Science	81.60	CST Mundgod
Tsultrim Gyaltso	Commerce	76.60	THS Mussoorie
Passang Lhamo	Humanities	81.20	CST Byllakupe
Tenzin Yonten	Vocational**	78.80	CST Mundgod

* Results not submitted by TCV Lhadak
** Only CST Mundgod has Vocational stream

CST Kalimpong with 100 % pass percentage in class XII and CST Orissa with 100 % pass percentage Class X toped the results for this year.

About an orphan child
Dorjee is a typical Tibetan orphan child raised in a foster parent environment. The lose of his parents at an early age took a heavy psychological toll whereby he failed to complete his schooling. However, with grit and determination he got himself trained as a professional cook. He worked at various restaurants, hotels and other organizations as a head cook. His roots and a sense of belonging to the community took him back to the Tibetan community in 1995 whereby he has been successfully working as a head cook at Namgyal Higher Secondary School, Kathmandu. His training and dedication has resulted in a professionally managed modern school kitchen resulting in the provision of hygienic and nutritious diet within the limited budget for the school going children and staff of this school. The department wishes him all the luck.

Dr. Chaim Peri of Israel visits DoE
Dr. Chaim Peri, Director, Yemin Orde Children's Village of Israel, visited Dharamsala from January 19th through 25th last. During his stay here he held meetings with the Minister, Secretary, officials of the department and Tibetan educators on exploring ways to promote inter cultural student exchange between the two countries. Yemin Orde has accepted to sponsor the visit by twelve Tibetan students and two educators to Israel. This group will be leaving shortly for Israel where they will spend three months.

Education Tour by schools
A team of fifty students escorted by nine teachers of CST Chauntra conducted an educational tour to Rewalsar during the winter vacation. They visited the Guru Padmasambhava and Mandarva meditation caves. The students showed deep devotion and offered scarves and incense at these holy sites. The students returned to their school blessed and enriched with better knowledge of the holy lake's history.

A team of twenty six class XI students accompanied by two staff escorts of CST Paonta Sahib, conducted an educational tour to the land of kings, Rajasthan, in the first week of the new millennium. They also visited other historical sites like the Dayal Bagh, Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, Amer Palace, Ajmer, Mt. Abu, Udiapur and Mathura. The first hand experience of these sites will surely instill in them a deep sense of admiration and the desire to learn more about the rich Indian history which is a part of their social studies syllabus.

Workshop for Pre-Primary teachers
The Sambhota Tibetan Schools Administration (STSA) conducted a month long in-service pre-primary teacher workshop at Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), Dharamsala, from December 20th through January 20th last. Twenty-eight Montessori teachers participated in the program. The workshop's primary focus was on imparting the skills necessary in implementing the knowledge and training gained through the years in the actual classroom situation when teaching to children who are at a very tender age.

STSA conducts In-service training for Primary Teachers
The STSA conducted a two-week in-service course for Primary Teachers at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Sarah, from December 27th through January 7th last. Twenty-seven teachers attended the program, which was funded by the DoE, from various Tibetan schools.

Non-Violent Education
Rabbi Everette and Dr. Mary Gendler, experts on Non-Violent Education from Boston, USA, visited India from February-March 2000 during which they gave special lectures on the practice of Active Non-Violence for Tibetan teachers in various settlements in Southern India. They also visited Tibetan Transit School and TCV Teachers' Training Center at Dharamsala, and organized workshops on Non-Violent Education.

New School Building at Dekyiling
Dekyiling Tibetan School has a brand new school section since January this year. The new building consists of numerous classrooms, a computer room, a teacher resource room and a library. While Mr. Luuk & Mrs. Ike Westerhof from the Netherlands funded the library portion, the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) funded the rest. We thank them all.

Gangtok school moves to its own complex
Thumi Sambhota Tibetan School moved en-block to its own semi-completed school complex earlier this year. The European Union is funding the entire project. The first phase, which is now complete, consists of a hostel building for 150 students, an administrative block and a four-storey main school block with over a dozen classrooms on its first two floors. The top floor is being used as a library and as a teacher resource room.

Official Visits
Education Minister Mrs. Rinchen Khando Choegyal and outgoing Education Secretary Mr. Tsering Wangyal visited Nepal from December 1st through 12th last. They attended the third High Level Education Committee Meeting in Kathmandu on December 1st 1999, which was attended by the local heads of the schools, Education Officer (Nepal), and the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Nepal among others. They also inspected various Tibetan establishments and schools in Kathmandu and Pokhra region and addressed gatherings of students, teachers, parents and community leaders.

Mr.Tsering Samdup, Education Officer, DOE, Mr. A.S. Rawat, Education Officer and Mr. Aggarwal, Technical Officer of the CTSA, and Mr. Jampa Tenzin, Principal CST (Central School for Tibetans), CVP undertook joint inspections of CST Gothangaon and Mainpat from December 22nd through 28th last .

Secretary DOE and Secretary CTSA undertook a joint inspection of CST Chandragiri at Orissa from February 28th through 29th last. They visited the main school at Chandragiri along with the branch schools at Lobersing and Mahendragada and held a meeting with the settlement officers, parents, students, teachers and community leaders to discuss on matters relating to the school. Education Officers from the DOE and CTSA, Mr. Tsering Phuntsok and Mr. Tsepak Rigzin also made a joint inspection of the above school from February 27th through March 4th 2000. They inspected the morning assembly, classroom teaching along with cultural and other daily activities.

The new Secretary Mr. Tsering Dhundup and the outgoing Secretary Mr. Tsering Wangyal accompanied by the Joint Secretary (Projects), Mr. Tseten Gyurmey and Mr. Karma Chungdak, Director, Sambhota Tibetan Schools Administration (STSA), were at the new school complex for Thumi Sambhota Tibetan School, Gangtok (where the first phase is complete), from March 23rd through 24th this year.

Mr. Dhundup also inaugurated the new classroom section. Extensive site and classroom visits were also made. They also visited the ongoing project funded by Mr. Christopher Walter from the United States at CST Pokhriabong. Inspections for the classrooms and future project sites were also undertaken.

While returning from his official tour of the northeast, Mr. Tsering Dhundup stopped over at the CTSA Headquarters in New Delhi on March 28th to meet the CTSA Secretary Mr. M.K. Rao.

The two exchanged pleasantries and briefly discussed matters of immediate concern for the Tibetan schools.

Projects
Special thanks

1. DCF, Denmark for completion of toilet construction, wire fencing and rewiring of CST Kalimpong school hostel.
2. Phase II of CST Puruwala