Sambhota takes charge of Sherab Gatsel Lobling’s administration [Tuesday, 4 January 2011, 5:43 p.m.]
DHARAMSHALA:
The Department of Education has formally handed over to Sambhota
Tibetan Schools Society the charge to administer Sherab Gatsel Lobling
school near Dharamsala in an effort to improve the education standard
and for efficient supervision of the day-to-day administration. Senior
officials from the education department and Sambhota Tibetan Schools
Society, including Kalon Thubten Lungrig and director Karma Chungdak,
attended a function at the school this afternoon marking the formal
handing over. In his address, Sambhota Tibetan Schools
Society’s director Mr Karma Chungdak said: “Since we have been looking
after the care and education of children between the age of 3 – 17, it
will be a new experience to administer students at Sherab Gatsel
Lobling as they have already reached their adulthood.” He
called on the students and staff members to extend their cooperation
and to work hard in improving the school’s academic standard. He
reminded the students of their aims of coming into exile by risking
their lives in crossing dangerous mountains and valleys. “Young people,
especially children and students, make perilous escape to India not
because they do not have food, clothing and house in Tibet. You have
come here to get the freedom of education under the kind leadership of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Therefore you should not squander the
precious opportunity,” he said. Mr Chungdak further said: “We
consider young Tibetan students coming from Tibet as representatives of
Tibetans living inside Tibet and as supporters of the struggle led by
their compatriots in exile. You are the bridge which connects the
Tibetans living inside Tibet with us in exile. It is a matter of great
for me to serve the people from Tibet who always stand behind us in
leading the quest for Tibet’s cause.” He said he always
believe in speed, good quality and complete work as his guiding
principles. “I am not saying we can definitely act on these principles,
but we must make plan and work accordingly with these as the
foundation,” he added.“I hope that a student of this school would one day become our future Kalon Tripa,” he added. Education
Kalon Thubten Lungrig said: “The objective behind the handing over of
the school’s administration is to improve the quality of education and
successful supervision of the day-to-day administration.”He
praised the students for following the school discipline irrespective
of age and having grown up in Tibet under the repressive rule of the
People’s Republic of China. He called for the need to uphold this trait
as a model for other students to emulate. Speaking on the PRC
government’s policy to destroy the Tibetan culture and language, he
told the students to put shoulder to the wheel to protect and preserve
our cultural heritage and identity.Kalon Thubten Lungrig
described students coming from Tibet to study in exile as a mirror
which reflects the standard of Tibetans living inside Tibet. “People
will make you as a benchmark to judge the standard of Tibetans living
inside Tibet,” he said. Speaking to TibetNet, school principal
Tsedup Dorjee said: “Our students are very diligent in their studies
and they aspire to pursue higher studies after completing the school
education. The taking over of the school administration by Sambhota
Schools Society would help this dream to come true. We also hope it
would improve the academic standard and facilities for both students
and staff members.”The idea of establishing Sherab Gatsel
Lobling, formerly known as Transit School, was mooted on 7 March 1993
to provide education to the steady stream of new arrivals aged 18 – 30
into exile. Since its inception on 1 April 1993, the school was
administered by the Tibetan Reception Centre, which handed over the
charge to the department of education on 17 February 2002. The school
has offered education to over 6,453 students since its inception. Presently,
there are around 422 students and 52 teachers and staff members. The
school offers a five-year education with courses comprising of Tibetan
and English languages, computer course, vocational courses in tailoring
and painting. Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society which is
directly funded by the Department of Education of the Central Tibetan
Administration, administers 13 schools with more than 2,150 students.
