DHARAMSHALA: Hundreds of Tibetan schoolchildren, parents and staff of Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen, a model Tibetan school lined the narrow roads of Gangchen Kyishong today to receive His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is on a visit to Gangchen Kyishong to grace the 10th founding anniversary of the school.
Other dignitaries who attended the celebratory function include special guest Kalon Trisur Professor Samdong Rinpoche, Speaker Penpa Tsering, education Kalon Ngodup Tsering along with other Kalons and senior members of the Tibetan administration.
Addressing the gathering, His Holiness underlined the importance of preserving the unique Tibetan script and language. His Holiness also spoke about the richness and utility of the Tibetan script to comprehend the intricate scientific and psychological aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness claimed that the Tibetan language should be a matter of pride for all Tibetans.
“Tibet in the past has suffered a massive political tragedy. However, the Tibetan language has been the lifeline in sustaining the essence of Tibetan culture and tradition over the years,” he said.
Calling for the fusion of both traditional and modern education, His Holiness the Dalai Lama explained: “It is evident that modern education alone is incompetent in creating a blissful society. Even though people have reached high intellectual growth, modern education fails to address the ceaseless problems created by human beings. Therefore, it is a fusion of the two that determines excellence.”
His Holiness also spoke about religious harmony and the need to understand the basic precept that the essence of all religion is love and compassion. “Today, even religion, which is supposed to be imparting love and compassion are now becoming the cause of conflicts and bloodshed. The need for imparting virtues and codes of conducts through modern education is must as suggested by many intellectuals and scientists,” His Holiness said.
Speaker Penpa Tsering, in his address, recalled His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s tireless efforts to rehabilitate the Tibetan refugees, particularly his constant emphasis on education of the Tibetan children over the last more than 50 years.
He also highlighted Trisur Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, who has dedicated his entire lifetime to fulfill His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision of the advancement of Tibetan education in exile. He further ascribed the success of the Tibetan parliamentary system to Trisur Samdhong Rinpoche. Rinpoche was instrumental in drafting and developing the procedural systems of the Tibetan parliamentary sessions during his days as the parliamentary speaker in the 1990’s.
Speaking on the Basic Education Policy, Speaker Penpa Tsering apprised His Holiness the Dalai Lama that the Tibetan Parliament had constituted an academic committee, which have published a thorough report of their review of the Basic Education Policy.
“We also dedicated an entire day of discussion on the recommendations made by the academic committee on the implementation and efficacy of the Basic Education Policy,” he said.
Education Kalon Mr. Ngodup Tsering, in his address, expressed gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his lifelong efforts to provide the best of both modern and traditional education to Tibetan children. He also gave a brief overview of the evolution and implementation of the Basic Education Policy since its announcement in 2004.
Congratulating the school on its 10th anniversary, Trisur Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche said that he has three things to express on the occasion; an apology, a clarification and gratitude.
Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche said that a few Indian educationists and friends have complained to him about the location of Petoen School. They have remarked that the school should have been established at a more accessible location due to the cramped surroundings at its present location. “On hindsight, it does seem like a previously unforeseen mistake. Moreover, since Petoen School was established during our Kashag, I apologize for the location. However, the location was believed to be sufficient at the time,” he said.
Regarding the Basic Education Policy, Rinpoche clarified that the BEP was not something he created entirely on his own. “Many people have the misconception that the BEP was my creation, something that I conceived and wrote. However, that is not entirely correct. Yes, the BEP was announced during our Kashag but the policy was derived from the constant advices of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Tibetan public regarding Tibetan language, Tibetan education, Tibetan culture, etc. It was also derived from the teachings of the Buddha. The BEP was formally announced during the 6th Tibetan general conference on education after consultation with hundreds of Tibetan teachers and duly adopted by the Tibetan parliament,” he clarified.
Rinpoche concluded by expressing gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his constant inspiration and to the teachers and staff of Petoen School for the success of the Tibetan model school.
Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen School is a school based on a holistic approach of learning through the Basic Education Policy of the Tibetan exiles. It was established in 2005 under then Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche.
