Environmental Talk Series in Tibetan Schools Underway

[Tuesday, 28 June 2011, 9:08 a.m.]

Schoolchildren listen to a talk on Tibet’s environmental issues conducted by the DIIR at the Sambhota Tibetan School, Dekyiling

DHARAMSHALA:
The Central Tibetan Administration is organising a special educational
programme for Tibetan schoolchildren to keep them abreast about the
crucial environmental issues inside Tibet. The
talk series on Tibet’s environment is part of an awareness programme
jointly organised by the Department of Information and International
Relations and the Education Department in commemorating the 75th birth
anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Two
environmental researchers from the Department of Information &
International Relations’ Environment and Development Desk are
conducting a talk series on Tibet’s environment in schools based in
northern Indian state of Uttarkhand and Himachal Pradesh.

The two
researchers, Mr Jigme Norbu and Ms Dhondup Dolma Bhartso, spoke on
climate change and water issues, grassland degradations, nomads and
resource extractions inside Tibet. Separate sessions were conducted for
senior and junior/primary students in all the schools.

They
conducted the talks in Sambhota Tibetan School, Dekyiling, Tibetan
Homes Foundation, Rajpur, Mindrolling Monastery at Clement Town,
Dhondupling and Central School for Tibetans in Mussoorie from 23 – 26
June. Over 900 schoolchildren, 500 monks and faculty members attended
the talk series.

Mr Jigme Norbu, an environmental researcher at the DIIR, speaking to monks at Mindrolling monastery at Clementown, as part of a talk series on Tibet’s environmental issues being conducted in Tibetan schools based in northern India

In all the
primary school level, the researchers organised games to test the
grasping power of the students and awarded Tibetan wildlife cards to
those giving correct answers. A twelve-minute version of the
documentary film ‘Meltdown in Tibet’ was shown to the senior students.The
researchers distributed environmental-related reports, books and DVDs
published by EDD to the school administrators to use as reference
materials interested students. DVDs produced by DIIR has also been
distributed to the concern head.The researchers will talk to
students at Tibetan Homes Foundation Mussorie on 27 and 28 June, TCV
Selakui on 29 June, CST Herbertpur on 30 June and STS Paonta on 1 July.
They will conclude the talk series at Sambhota Tibetan School, Puruwala
on 2 July.