Dharamshala: Secretary Jigme Namgyal Namgyalkhang, who previously served as Secretary of the Department of Education, has officially taken charge as the Secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration.

To commemorate the transfer of responsibilities, a handover ceremony was convened at the Department of Religion and Culture. The event marked the transition from the outgoing Secretary, Dhondul Dorjee, to the newly appointed Secretary, Jigme Namgyal. Representing the Kashag, Secretary Karma Choeying of the Department of Education attended the ceremony as an official witness.

As part of the formal proceedings, the outgoing Secretary handed over all departmental files, records, documents, and inventories to his successor. He also extended his congratulations and expressed his best wishes for a productive and successful tenure.

Upon the completion of the handover, the incoming and outgoing Secretaries as well as the official witness met with the Department’s Kalon, Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi, and held a brief meeting.

Thereafter, the department staff presented traditional ceremonial scarves to both the outgoing and incoming Secretaries in recognition of their service and as a gesture of goodwill.

Brief Bio of Secretary Jigme Namgyal 

Secretary Jigme Namgyal was born on 7 May 1978 to Yudrung Tsering and Tsering Dolma. After completing his early education at CST Bir and his senior secondary education at CST Dalhousie, he joined the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS), Sarnath, Varanasi. In 2000, he was awarded a Gold Medal for securing first position in the Shastri degree examination, and in 2003, he graduated with an Acharya degree in First Division.

During his student years at CIHTS, Jigme Namgyal actively participated in numerous training programmes, workshops, and seminars. He also served on various student committees of the Institute.

In 2001, he was recruited into the Tibetan civil service of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and was appointed as Under Secretary in the Department of Education. Following the change in the Kashag in mid-2001, he was transferred to the Kashag Secretariat and appointed Private Secretary to the Kalon Tripa, a position now equivalent to that of the Sikyong following His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s complete devolution of political authority.

During his long tenure at the Kashag Secretariat, he had the privilege of serving Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, then Kalon Tripa, from 2001 to 2011, and Dr. Lobsang Sangay from 2011 to 2016. Over this period, he held the positions of Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and, from 2010, Joint Secretary.

In August 2016, he was transferred to the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), where he was subsequently promoted to the post of Additional Secretary in 2017.

He later served as Head of the Administration Section in the Department of Education following his transfer and was appointed Secretary of the Department of Education on 3 September 2020.

With the formation of the 17th Kashag, he was transferred to the Department of Religion and Culture and appointed its Secretary.