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The following would be a general focus on the Tibetan institutes of higher education. A brief review of what we have achieved thus far in the field of higher education as also to see what avenues of higher studies are available to Tibetan students apart from the Indian Universities and Vocational Institutes have been covered.

Library of Tibetan works & archives(LTWA), Dharamsala

His Holiness the Dalai Lama laid the foundation stone for the Library's Tibetan style building on 11th June 1970, at Dharamsala. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) is one of the most important institutions in the world dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Tibetan culture.

Located within the compound of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, the Library serves as a repository for Tibetan artifacts and manuscripts and a center for language and cultural education. Its holdings include more than 80,000 manuscripts, books and documents, hundreds of thangkas, statues and other artifacts, 6,000 photographs, and other materials.

The LTWA also holds some very popular courses in Buddhist Philosophy (two classes a day), apart from two courses in Tibetan language- one for beginners and another more advanced course. These courses are normally for about 91/2 months and the courses are funded by the collection of fees from the students. The LTWA employs a staff of 47. As a center for the study of Tibetan culture, the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives is firmly dedicated to a threefold vision of preservation, protection and promotion. The Library looks forward into the next century, confident of its role to preserve, and educate others about, a culture threatened with destruction. More than 30 years after its founding, the need for such an institution as the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives has continued to grow.

The primary objectives of the Library are as follows:

• Acquiring and conserving Tibetan books and manuscripts, artifacts and works of art;
• Providing access to books, manuscripts and reference works (in Tibetan and foreign languages) in study areas within the Library;
• Compiling bibliographies and documentation of library holdings and related literature available worldwide;
• Providing copies and prints of library holdings, and acting as a reference center for such source materials;
• Publishing books and manuscripts under the Library imprint;
• Supporting researches and studies of the Tibetan language, classical and modern, and the traditional arts and crafts.

• The Library has opened its doors to numerous scholars from many countries.
• It has launched educational programs in language, philosophy, culture and the traditional arts.
• It has encouraged computer projects, and other initiatives aiming to preserve Tibetan thought and culture.
• The Library sponsors international seminars.
• It engages in book exchange programs with other libraries and distributes its own publications, in Tibetan and English, throughout the world. Library holdings increase every year and class enrollments in the Center for Tibetan Studies continue to climb.
• The Library is home to one of only two Tibetan Oral History projects in the world.
• Its dynamic Thangka painting and woodcarving programs are indicative of the fact that cultural preservation includes the arts as well as letters.
• LTWA works in close collaboration with the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies (deemed a university) in Sarnath and the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration.
• With each year of operation increasing numbers of visitors, researchers and students are drawn to this institution which is able to provide them with an educational and cultural experience available nowhere else in the world.

Men-tsee-khang, Dharamsala

Men-Tsee-Khang or the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute was founded in 1961. It aims to preserve the ancient cultural heritage of traditional Tibetan medicine and Tibetan astrology and astronomy. Towards these ends it conducts courses in Tibetan medicine and Tibetan astrology. Both these courses are for 6 years each ( 5 years of theory plus a year at internship). Medical students are awarded the degree of Menpa Kachupa while astrology students are awarded the degree of Tsepa Kachupa. TMAI currently enrolls 59 students, with 19 female students. The Institute has branches all over India and employs a staff of 358. Although the benefit of the Tibetan medical system has been widely acclaimed, TMAI's main problem centers on the lack of recognition of traditional Tibetan medicine- either by governments or by the UNO. Sponsorship programs fund student's education at TMAI. Its basic infrastructure is adequate in the context of our refugee status.

Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath

Founded in the year 1967 the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi aims to impart courses in higher Tibetan studies. The primary objective of the institute is to preserve the Tibetan culture and traditions as well as to preserve ancient Indian sciences and literature presently preserved in the Tibetan language which is however lost in the original. Three specific courses namely; Madhyam, Shastri and Acharya are offered by the institute. The institute is presently fully funded by the government of India.

Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Dharamsala

The Institute of Buddhist Dialectic was founded in the year 1973 with the primary aim of preserving and promoting Tibetan Buddhist tradition and literature. It also aims to;

• produce graduates who would become sincere mediators devoting their life to the practice of Buddhism in solitude.
• to produce well qualified teachers in Tibetan Buddhism, language and literature and also produce qualified writers, poets, and translators of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and religion into other languages.

Various courses, which confer diplomas and degrees, are awarded and they run from 1 month to seven years.

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Dharamsala

The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) was formed in the year 1959 with the primary objective of preserving and promoting traditional performing arts of Tibet including Tibetan opera/Lhamo, folk songs and dances of Tibet and all kinds of Tibetan musical instruments.

• At present, TIPA offers diploma courses for candidates of dance and music teachers. It also offers courses for various levels of artistes.
• A special group of young students are being imparted practical training in Tibetan dance along with regular subjects as per syllabus of TCV schools.
• TIPA undertakes extensive domestic and international tours which helps it promote the rich traditional Tibetan performing arts.