Department of Education

Department of Education is one of the seven main departments of the executive organ of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) based in Dharamshala, India. It was established in 1960 to look after the educational affairs of the Tibetan administration and community in exile. After coming into exile in 1959, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama had given top priority to education and requested the then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for establishing separate schools for Tibetan refugee children.

The soul purpose of establishing separate schools for Tibetans in India is to provide quality modern education and preservation of the Tibetan language and culture at the same time. This idea is commonly referred to as the twin-object of the Tibetan schools in exile and became the heart and soul of the Tibetan education policy. The overall level of success towards that object over the past 62 years has remained remarkably high.

The Department of Education currently oversees 62 Tibetan schools – excluding the pre-primary sections and private schools – in India and Nepal under different autonomous administrative bodies. There are around 15,155 students and 2,033 staff members in these schools. The autonomous school administrative bodies include: Tibetan Children’s Villages (15 schools), Tibetan Homes Foundation (4 schools), Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society (34 schools), and Snow Lion Foundation (9 schools).

More information is available at www.sherig.org

Introduction Administration Organisational Function Account Section FAQs Who’s Who Contact

The soul purpose of establishing separate schools for Tibetans in India was for provision of quality modern education and preservation of the Tibetan language and culture at the same time. This idea is commonly referred to as the twin-object of the Tibetan schools in exile and became the heart and soul of the Tibetan education policy. The overall level of success towards that object over the past 61 years has remained remarkably high.

The Department of Education currently oversees 63 Tibetan schools – excluding the pre-primary sections and private schools – in India and Nepal under different autonomous administrative bodies. There are around 15,155 students and 2,033 staff members in these schools. The autonomous school administrative bodies include: Central Tibetan Schools Administration (6 schools), Tibetan Children’s Villages (16 schools), Tibetan Homes Foundation (4 schools), Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society (28 schools), and Snow Lion Foundation (9 schools).

Despite miraculous past achievements, a general sense of dissatisfaction and a growing number of new challenges – some of which were of serious nature – began to surface during the last two decades. As a long-term measure against those challenges, the CTA framed a ‘Basic Education Policy’ in 2004 for implementation by the Department of Education and different school bodies. To this end and for various other purposes related to education and welfare of Tibetan refugee children, the Department of Education performs the following functions:

to initiate and monitor necessary changes in teaching methodology in schools,
to run teacher education and in-service teacher training programs,
to provide policy and administrative direction and guidance to schools,
to develop and review school curriculars, textbooks and other materials,
to provide guidance and counseling to students, teachers and parents,
to raise and provide scholarships for schools and university education,
to co-ordinate sponsorship program for orphans and other needy children,
to develop, translate and publish children’s books and periodicals,
to provide grants to schools and autonomous school bodies,
to convene conferences and seminars on education,
to recruit students for overseas study programs,
to co-ordinate teacher and student exchange programs,
to review and evaluate the standard of learning in schools,
and to award prizes and certificates to meritorious students and teachers.

Education is the noble tool that we employ to meet the challenges of the modern world while preserving our unique language, culture and traditions. Our youth of today will be tomorrow’s leaders who will shoulder the responsibility of shaping our future and contribute to our development as a nation.

Since the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and over 130,000 Tibetans have fled in search of political, religious, educational and other basic freedoms. Upon arriving into exile, one of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s highest priorities was and continues to be is providing care and education for Tibetan children, many of whom are orphaned or destitute. He believes that Tibetan youth are the main source of hope for a future free Tibet.

It is this understanding which has guided the Department of Education (DOE) since its inception in 1960. Being one of the seven major departments of the Central Tibetan Administration, (Tibetan Government in exile) Dharamsala, India, and the DOE is the apex body responsible for providing support for the educational and welfare needs of over 16,553 students in 68 Tibetan schools in India and Nepal. Comprised of both residential and day schools, they range from the pre-primary to the senior secondary level. In keeping with the needs of the time and an eye on a future free Tibet we set upon ourselves under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, certain objectives and defined the organizational functions that could help us meet those objectives.

Objectives:-

To oversee the educational needs and welfare of the Tibetan children in exile.
To provide free basic education for every Tibetan refugee child in order to achieve 100% literacy among the Tibetan refugee community.
To inculcate values of personal integrity and universal responsibility.
To develop modern scientific and technical education and skills, while preserving and promoting Tibetan language and culture.
To address human resource requirements of the Tibetan community in exile and a future free Tibet.

Organizational Functions

Provide administrative guidance in overseeing schools.
Coordinate Sponsorship and Scholarship programs.
Coordinate Scholarship programs.
Create new schools, teacher training centres and institutions while improving existing ones.
Recruit teachers and arranging in-service training for them.
Run an employment and placement bureau.
Undertake research, planning and development.
Review and supplying text books and other required resource materials.
Provide necessary buildings and constructions.
Raise and distribute funds.

To provide our young people with adequate care, appropriate educational foundation and opportunity for higher study, the DOE continually assesses the educational and human resource requirements of our communities in exile. According to these needs, the DOE performs a wide variety of functions. Such functions include but are not limited to the following:

Providing administrative guidance in overseeing schools;
Coordinating Sponsorship and Scholarship programs;
Coordinating Scholarship programs;
Creating new schools, teacher training centers and institutions while improving existing ones;
Recruiting teachers and arranging in-service training for them;
Running an employment and placement bureau;
Continual research, planning and development;
Reviewing and supplying text books and other required resource materials;
Providing necessary buildings and constructions;
Raising and appropriating funds.

The overall responsibility of this section is to prepare the annual budget of the department after due
consultation with the various sections under the administrative section. The other job include
maintaining daily accounts, internal audit of CTSA schools under the administration of rector and audit
report and other related works.

1. What are the Department of Education’s primary objectives?2. When was the Department of Education set up?3. What does tcewf stand for?4. Is the Department of Education a registered organization?5. What are the DoE’s organizational functions?6. What are the DoE’s activities?7. How does the DoE’s sponsorship program work?8. How can one help a child or a group of child?9. Can I directly contact my sponsored child?10. How can I send contributions; in cash or kind to the Department?11. How does the DoE’s scholarship program work?12. What publications do the DoE have?13. What are the primary objectives of the DoE’s publications?14. How can I receive or subscribe to the DoE’s publications?15. What is the literacy rate of Tibetans in exile?16. Does the Tibetan schools have its own syllabus for children?17. How is Tibetan culture and identity transmitted to the children in the Tibetan schools?18. How can I contribute towards Tibetan education in the Tibetan 19. community in exile?19. How can I find a particular Tibetan school in India, Nepal or Bhutan?20. How many Tibetan schools are there in exile?21. Can I teach in a Tibetan school as a Volunteer while bearing all expenses?22. How can I contact the DoE?23. How can I contact the developers of this site?24. If I wish to offer free server hosting facility as a gift for this site, who should I contact?25. If I wish to provide my web designing expertise for free, who should I contact?

What are the Department of Education’s primary objectives?

To oversee the educational needs and welfare of the Tibetan children in exile.
To provide primary education for every Tibetan refugee child in order to achieve 100% literacy among the Tibetan refugee community.
To inculcate values of personal integrity and universal responsibility.
To develop modern scientific and technical education and skills, while preserving and promoting Tibetan language and culture.
To address human resource requirements of the Tibetan community in exile and a future free Tibet.

When was the Department of Education set up?The Department of Education was incepted in the year 1960.

What does tcewf stand for?TCEWF stand for Tibetan Children’s Educational and Welfare Fund, which is the registered society of the Department of Education.

Is the Department of Education a registered organization? Yes, as the Tibetan Children’s Educational and Welfare Fund (tcewf) and under the following:

The societies registration act of 1860.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
The certificate of Importer-Exporter.

Our bankers are:

United Commercial Bank (UCO)
State Bank of India (SBI)

What are the DoE’s organizational functions?To provide our young people with adequate care, appropriate educational foundation and opportunity for higher study, the DOE continually assesses the educational and human resource requirements of our communities in exile. According to these needs, the DOE performs a wide variety of functions. Such functions include but are not limited to the following:

Providing administrative guidance in overseeing schools.
Coordinating Sponsorship and Scholarship programs for higher studies.
Creating new schools, teacher training centers and institutions while improving existing ones.

Recruiting teachers and arranging in-service training for them.
Running an employment and placement bureau.
Continual research, planning and development.
Reviewing and supplying text books and other required resource materials.
Providing necessary buildings and constructions.
Raising and appropriating funds.

What are the DoE’s activities?Sponsorship Program: The Department of Education firmly believes that every Tibetan child living in exile should be given the opportunity to receive a school education. Although each family is encouraged to pay required school fees, due to various hardships, many of them are unable to afford their child’s education. Our community contributes where it can and the Government of India provides generous assistance through subsidies, but without additional support, some families are unable to secure an education for their children. Therefore, the DOE facilitates finding sponsors for them.

Scholarship Program: Of the youth that graduate from our schools every year, approximately one-third are provided with scholarships for higher education and vocational courses. Our aspiration is to help provide all students with the chance to pursue advance study, while helping them to gain the necessary human resource skills required by exiled communities and in Tibet when we return.

Educational Research, Planning & Development: Tibetan exile education is a continual process of developing new ways and systems to express and promote our social, cultural and national identity while meeting the challenges of the time. While great strides have been made in providing a school education for every Tibetan refugee child, we aspire to expand existing programs and create new ones in areas of need such as, career planning, adult education, vocational training, and job placement. To continually assess school and community needs, the DOE conducts relevant research as the basis of its planning, curriculum and human resource development. The following are DOE projects whose aims are to broaden and enhance the scope, effectiveness and relevancy of Tibetan education.1. Tibetan National Education Policy Development,2. Human Resource Development,3. Teacher Training Development,4. Educational Infrastructure,5. Buildings & Construction & Resource Development.

How does the DoE’s sponsorship program work?Sponsorship Program: The Department of Education firmly believes that every Tibetan child living in exile should be given the opportunity to receive a school education. Although each family is encouraged to pay required school fees, due to various hardships, many of them are unable to afford their child’s education. Our community contributes where it can and the Government of India provides generous assistance through subsidies, but without additional support, some families are unable to secure an education for their children. Therefore, the DOE facilitates finding sponsors for them. In 1975, the Sponsorship Program was established to enable sympathetic individuals and agencies to assist our school-aged children to attain an education. With this support, the Tibetan education movement has continued to progress with each passing year, for which we are deeply grateful.

Selection: In settlements throughout India, Nepal and Bhutan, the most needy children are selected on the recommendation of the local Tibetan Settlement Office, who is in daily contact with the local community and is responsible for their general welfare. Recommendations, background details and photos of the child are screened for authenticity and are then sent to prospective sponsors.

Provisions Sponsorship enables poor children to attend a residential school, or a day school while awaiting a vacancy in a residential school. Not only does sponsorship funds pay school fees, it also provides the child with adequate food, clothing, school uniform, necessary books and stationery.

How can one help a child or a group of child?The sponsorship selections of children are normally done on the basis of recommendations put forth by the Settlement Officers and Regional Tibetan Freedom Movement Offices. Cases, which are genuine, will remain in the waiting list until the sponsor for a child is found. Your wish to sponsor a child will thus be drawn from this waiting list although you will be initially send a case history of children on this list.

Can I directly contact my sponsored child?Not under our present guidelines. This is primarily to avoid unwanted administrative problems for us and pressure on our sponsors. Do contact us at [email protected] for more details. Please check us out at our sponsorships page for more details.

How can I send contributions; in cash or kind to the Department?Yes, we welcome all contributions whether in cash or kind. We will send an official receipt as promptly as we can and send an implementation report if you so desire.Our Bankers are:

United Commercial Bank, Dharamsala, India
State Bank of India, Dharamsala, India

Also, please check us out at sponsorships page.

How does the DoE’s scholarship program work?All scholarships offered through DoE are granted after the consideration, verification and collective decisions of two different committees. First, the DoE Scholarship Committee, chaired by the Education Secretary and comprised of seven other responsible staff members of DoE, handles scholarship awards for studies within India. Second, the High Level Scholarship Committee(HLSC), chaired by the Senior Kalon (representative of the Cabinet) and comprised of the Education Minister, the Education Secretary and five other Department secretaries, deals with scholarship awards for studies abroad. The previous community service and excellent academic background of an applicant are frequently the standards for consideration of both the Committees.

What publications do the DoE have?Please click here for more detail.

What are the primary objectives of the DoE’s publications?The DoE publications are primarily meant to provide informative illustrative textbooks, storybooks, resource books, dictionaries, magazines etc to meet the ever-increasing high demand for quality publications for Tibetan schools.

How can I receive or subscribe to the DoE’s publications?Contact us at: Secretary,Department of Education,Central Tibetan Administration,Gangchen Kyishong,Dharamsala – 176215 Himachal Pradesh, INDIA  Tel: 91-01892-22721/22572 Fax: 91-01892-23481 Email: [email protected]

What is the literacy rate of Tibetans in exile?About 82.4 % as per the 2009 Demographic Survey of Tibetans in Exile undertaken by Planning Commission of Central Tibetan Administraiton.

Does the Tibetan schools have its own syllabus for children?The Tibetan schools have their entire Tibetan language Textbook for all grades developed and printed by the Department. For up to class V all non-language textbooks are developed and printed by the Department and its affiliate bodies. For Grades VI onwards the syllabus prescribed by the NCERT for all Indian schools is followed in Tibetan schools based in India while the host nations syllabus is followed in Nepal and Bhutan.

How is Tibetan culture and identity transmitted in the Tibetan schools?The transmission of our rich culture to the younger generation is one of the most important aims of schooling in exile. As such, by far the most important co-curricular activity is the Tibetan cultural activities. Most of the schools have one or more Tibetan dance and drama teachers. All the residential schools have cultural instructors. Inter House and Inter school competitions in Tibetan cultural activities are often the highlight of many school calendars. Some of the activities encouraged in the Tibetan schools:

Special talks on religion and other festivals of Tibet.
Performance of folk items on important occasions.
Debates and quizzes on various aspect of Tibet and Tibetan culture.
Cultural exhibitions.
Cultural exchange programs between different schools.
Tibetan dance and drama competitions.
Tibet: our Country Project.

Observance of all traditional Tibetan festivals.

Over and the above, the Department has introduced Tibetan as a medium of instruction in all the primary schools along with Tibetan textbooks in all these grades.

How can I contribute towards Tibetan education in the Tibetan community in exile?

Through contributions to our various funds.
Through contribution in kind which could include new or used clothing, computer items, toys and books (preferably new). Please send us a mail for more information before you decide to send us anything primarily for queries on customs clearance and postage and handling expenses.
Through voluntary service of extended periods (minimum one year) on numerous projects under various fields though preferably in technical areas like computers and publishing work (especially at the Department).

We also require voluntary trained teachers for our schools but for a minimum period of one academic year. Please refer to point # 23 also.

How can I find a particular Tibetan school in India, Nepal or Bhutan?Please check us out at The schools section for more details.

How many Tibetan schools are there in exile?80 Tibetan schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Please check us out at The schools section for more details.

Can I teach in a Tibetan school as a Volunteer while bearing all expenses?Normally not for short duration’s due to administrative difficulties. However, we consider volunteer applicants for teaching English, Science, Math’s, Computers etc. provided they fulfill to the following conditions:

Will agree to volunteer for a minimum period of one whole academic year viz., 1st July to 30th June. (they will get two months break viz.; January and February for schools in higher regions and May and June for schools in lower regions.)
Will bear their own boarding and lodging expenses though some of the residential schools could provide these for free.

How can I contact the Department?You can call us or e-mail us: Tel: 91-01892-22721/22572  Fax: 91-01892-23481 Email: [email protected]

How can I contact the developers of this site?Check us out at the contact page for more details.

If I wish to offer free server hosting facility as a gift for this site, who should I contact?Please contact the webmaster with your free hosting facility offer.

If I wish to provide my web designing expertise for free, who should I contact?Please contact the webmaster with your free web designing expertise offer.

Kalons:

Mr Woser Gyelsten Kundeling (March 4, 1960 – September 1964
Mr Tsering Gonpo Jangtsang (September 1964 – July 10, 1966)
Mr Jigme Sumtsen Wangpo Taring (January 1968 – May 1973)
Mr Thupten Ningee (December 1973 – February 2, 1980)
Mr Thupten Namgyal Juchen (August 24, 1980 – January 1985) and (September 1987 – November 1988)
Mr Tenzin Geyche Tethong (November 1985- September 1990)
Mr Tashi Wangdi (November 1988- May 1990)
Mrs Jetsun Pema (May 17, 1990 – July 1993)
Mrs Rinchen Khando Choegyal (July 1993 – September 2001)
Mr Thupten Lungrig (September 5, 2001 – August 14, 2006) and (October 5, 2006 – May 29, 2011)
Kalon Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay (September 19, 2011 – September 16, 2014)
Mr. Ngodup Tsering (September 17, 2014 – 31 May 2016)
Mr Ngodup Tsering ( June 2016 – 31 December 2017)
Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok ( 1 January 2018 – 2 April 2018)
Dr Pema Yangchen (from 3 April 2018 – 26 May 2021)
Tharlam Dolma Changra ( 10 November 2021 – Present)

Secretaries:

Mr Lobsang T Rikha (1976 – 1982)
Mr Rapten Chazotsang (1982 – 1991)
Mrs Yangkyi Samkhar (1991 – 1993)
Mr Tsering Wangyal (1993 – 1995 and 1999 – 2000)
Mr Ngodup Tsering (1991 – 1999)
Mr Tsering Dhundup (March 20, 2000 – April 9, 2002)
Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok (April 10, 2002 – February 2012)
Mr Ngodup Tsering (April 2, 2012 – September 15, 2014)
Mr Topgyal Tsering ( 2013 – 3 June 2016)
Dr Ngawang Rabgyal ( 2014 – November 2016)
Karma Singey (18 May 2017 – 2 September 2020)
Jigme Namgyal Namgyalkhang (3 September 2020 – Present)

Mail:

Secretary
Department of Education
Central Tibetan Administration
Dharamshala – 176215, H.P., India

Tel: +91-1892-222572, 222721
Fax: +91-1892-223481
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sherig.org

Projects Scholarship Program Sponsorship Program Training Program Traditional Academic Section Education Council Counseling Section Terminology Section

There are three staff under the project section out of which two are permanent staff. This section deals with various donors across the world viz. Institutional donors, organizational donors and individual donors for various educational and infrastructure development projects.

Most of the DoE and school projects are channelized through the project section to avoid duplication and to meet the necessary CTA guidelines. This section ensures that all projects are implemented on time and in accordance with its original plan.

Key responsibilities of the project section are as follows:

Design educational and infrastructural development project of schools and raise fund from the potential donors across the world.
Carryout need assessment of the projects proposed by the schools and make necessary changes wherever necessary.
Submit proposals to the planning commission for necessary appraisal and approval.
Communicate periodically with the donors to update about the status of various projects.
Monitor & evaluate the project activities to make sure that the proposed projects are on track and progressing towards its objective.
Submit progress and completion report to the donor with detailed financial statement and pictures for transparency and accountability.

The Department of Education, CTA has been doing its best to improve the education of Tibetan children in exile from the last many decades, however the financial constraint at our end impedes the development and to realize the objective. Therefore, we would like to urge you to render your kind support to any of the DoE projects listed below. We appreciate partial funding as well.



S.No	PROJECT TITTLE	NAME OF THE SCHOOL	AMOUNT
1	Staff quarters renovation & construction of two new washrooms	STS Puruwala	202,530
2	Renovation of staff quarter toilets	STS Dholanji	266,223
3	Ravangla furniture in staff quarters	STS Ravangla	256,650
4	Computers for lab project	STS Miao	936,842
5	Library enhancement project	STS Miao	265,254
6	Printer for Office project	STS Miao	14,792
7	Staff Qtrs renovation (Lower)	Petoen school	209,657
8	School boundary wall	STS Lobersing	2,787,234
9	Inverter in 17 staff quarters	STS Kollegal	691,958
10	Renovation of old existing classrooms into staff quarters	STS Gurupura	520,210
11	School block painting outside	STS Gurupura	747,368
12	Math lab repair & teaching aids	STS Gothangaon	114,693
13	Basket ground renovation	STS Chandragiri	634,211
14	4 New staff quarters	STS Bylakuppe	5,404,468
15	L shaped old building renovation	STS Bylakuppe	4,167,660
16	Roofing for building 1 to 3	Kollegal	1,921,500
17	Classroom old door and window repair	Kollegal	683,867
18	Painting of Primary, labs and Senior blocks	Kollegal	615,302
19	Staff quarters renovation	CVP Bylakuppe	1,907,302

The Department of Education (DoE) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) oversees the education and welfare of the Tibetan refugee students from India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Every year around 1200 Tibetan students’ complete Senior Secondary education (Class XII) and opts for higher studies in various colleges and universities in India.

As counselled by His Holiness and also considering the need of professionals in CTA and Tibetan communities, the Department of Education (DoE) has taken the initiative to provide scholarships for students pursuing professional college degrees and research courses.

The scholarships are mostly awarded on a merit basis, but we also take special consideration for students from low-income families. The program rewards excellent students and supports underprivileged students.

With a high need for such financial assistance, the DoE is endeavoring to raise fund for such aid from various supporters around the world.

An annual contribution of US $ 1000 per child supports their higher studies. The DoE has also launched a Scholarship Endowment Fund, where an individual, group or an association can make a one-time contribution of US $ 10,000/ towards a scholarship for one Tibetan student to pursue higher education. It is envisaged that the interest accrued from the above-mentioned amount will comfortably provide scholarship for one student for higher studies.

Whenever the Department of Education receives scholarship offer from colleges and universities from India and overseas, an announcement is made through the official website and social media pages. It is also sent to all the Tibetan settlement offices and schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

The DoE scholarship Committee is headed by Education Kalon (Minister) and this committee is the main decision-making body for all the scholarships program. All the decisions and selections are made as per DoE scholarship rules and regulation.

The Department of Education of Central Tibetan Administration firmly believes that every Tibetan child living in exile should receive basic education. As highlighted in the Tibetan charter, our ultimate aim is to provide free education up to grade 12.

Our aims and objectives are:

To provide universal basic education for all
Install and imbibe Tibetan culture and identity
Become responsible human beings based on the principle of universal responsibility

As per His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision and aspiration, the government of India has established Central Schools for Tibetans (CST) separately to give free education to all the children. However, in 1975 CTSA asked the parents to pay the children’s boarding fees which put a huge financial burden on the vulnerable families. Keeping in view the new development and the importance of education, the DOE established the scholarship program. A program through which sympathetic individuals and agencies can assist in providing free education to our children through their generous fund.

With the kind and generous support, the number of children in our schools increased with many able to graduate and pursue their college studies.

Sponsoring a Tibetan refugee child provides free education along with other amenities such as food, tuitions, uniforms, toiletries and books. The children who benefit from the sponsorship program are those deemed most needy as per the background of the family. We accept a donation of US$30 per month per child (one-time donation of US$360) per year. An official receipt, along with an acknowledgement letter and information of the particular child, will be provided upon the receipt of the donation.

Since its establishment, the sponsorship section has undertaken a myriad of initiatives to improve the education and wellbeing of the children.

Main functions of the Sponsorship Section are as follow:

Admission of children from the Tibetan settlements in Nepal, Bhutan and India in Central Schools for Tibetans (CST) after completing their Day Schools from their respective places. We also give admission to the children from Himalayan regions on special grounds.
Find Sponsors for children, especially those from a poor financial background. Serve as a bridge between the children and the sponsors through letters either directly with sponsor or through organizations.
Looks after the children belonging to destitute families, children of CTA Staff including children of Members of Parliament, Judiciary, Tibetan Army Political leaders (Dapon and Rupon) and the children under the Three and More Child Program.
Send the admission announcement of the schools through settlements offices.
Provide pocket money to the needful children and covers travelling expenses of children hailing from remote places like Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh and Shawara in Nepal to go back home during the vacation.
Provide special admission to orphan and semi orphan children in Tibetan Children’s Village and Tibetan Homes Foundation, Mussoorie based on the recommendation letter from the settlement offices.

Teacher Training/Professional Development Programme

TEACHER TRAINING
One of the basic factors, which determine teacher quality, is the standard of teacher training institutes. Many of Tibetan teachers those who were teaching above class VI had to acquire minimum qualification of graduate (B.A/B.Sc) plus Bachelor of Education from recognized institutions.

PGT Tibetan workshop, Sarnath
The Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration provides various teachers training programmes to meet the requirement of teachers in Tibetan schools. The training programmes are fully sponsored with funding assistance from various NGOs/Governments.

Montessori Teachers Training
Montessori system of education is being followed in the Tibetan schools. The Department of Education, CTA in collaboration with the TCV Montessori Teachers Training Centre, Dharamsala (now shifted to Bangalore) had conducted the Montessori teachers training from time to time on need base.

Primary Teachers Training
With the switch in the medium of instruction at the junior level from English to Tibetan in the mid-nineties, the need was felt to recruit more teachers competent to teach through Tibetan medium. Trainings are being organised in close collaboration with the College of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah.Under the implementation of the Basic Education Policy (BEP), more trainings are being conducted for quality recruitment of teachers in the schools. The candidates must possess the minimum of bachelor’s degree to be eligible to receive the teacher’s training course.

Middle School Teachers Training
Middle school teacher’s trainings are being conducted by the DOE in collaboration with Central University of Tibetan Studies (CUTS), Sarnath and College of Higher Tibetan Studies (CHTS), Sarah from time to time. English Teachers Workshop in DelhiDespite the best efforts, the resource of qualified teachers for Tibetan schools in India and Nepal still remains highly insufficient. As an urgent long-term measure towards addressing that problem, the Department of Education has decided to establish a Teachers’ Education Centre at Bhuntar in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh in 2012 for developing Tibetan teachers. Preparatory works are underway in collaboration with CUTS to provide B.Sc. B.Ed & B.A. B.Ed. 4-year integrated course-a teacher education with strong foundation in Tibetan culture and language.

Music & Dance Teachers Training
All Tibetan schools impart instruction in music and dance as part of preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture. Trained teachers in the field are recruited in the schools. The Department of Education conducts music and dance teachers training programmes on the basis on need assessment in the schools. Intensive trainings are provided in collaboration with the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Dharamsala.

Spiritual Teachers Training
Buddhist philosophy and spiritual values are being taught in the schools to inculcate moral and cultural values among the younger generation to become good human beings alongwith academic pursuit. Learned Buddhist monks/nuns are appointed as spiritual teachers in the schools. The Department of Education conducts orientation trainings to them on the functioning of schools and teaching techniques. As of now, all the Tibetan schools from Middle level onward have one such teacher.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
The professional development programmes for teachers are required from time to time in order keep abreast with the changing technological development in the field of education. Besides, teachers should get a common platform to share and exchange experiences with teachers from other schools. Keeping this in mind, DOE make plans to organise in-service training programmes/workshop especially in the field of Tibetan culture related subjects and language for various categories of teachers viz. Montessori teachers, primary teachers (PRT), trained graduate teachers (TGT), post graduate teachers (PGT), music & dance teachers and spiritual and cultural teachers.

Introduction

Traditional Academic Section was set up on 1st November, 2003 in accordance with the resolution passed during the Fourth Tibetan General Education Conference. The main objectives to start this section are to preserve Tibetan language, culture and tradition, improve the teaching-learning of all the subjects taught through Tibetan language, and to enhance the standard of dialectic debate amongst students by organizing dialectic meets.

Responsibilities of Traditional Academic Section

Conducting workshops on teaching and pedagogy for Tibetan language teachers, Philosophy teachers, Music and Dance teachers, and Pre-primary teachers as per the BEP and implementing programs to improve the standard of Tibetan language for other teachers.
Conducting assessment and survey to analyse the standard of education in Tibetan schools and providing required educational facilities.
Providing recommendation letter for the appointment of Philosophy teachers, Music and Dance teachers and Tibetan language teachers as per the requirement of schools under CTSA.
Planning and organizing of dialectic meets of Tibetan schools.
Conducting evaluations and interviews for the Non-formal research program.
Planning and conducting Annual Tibetan Essay Writing, Annual Tibetan Calligraphy Writing, Tibetan language Topper Award, Gaden Phodrang Award to improve and encourage the learning of Tibetan language.
Planning and organizing Class V Common Exams, Leadership Workshop for Class X Students, Tibetan General Education Conference and Parents Conference in collaboration with Modern Academic Section.
Installation of classroom reading corner EGR program.

Modern Academic section

Introduction

Until 1990’s there was no separate sections for Academic and Administration in the DoE and both were under the direct supervision of the Secretary. However, in 1992, as a result of the decentralization process the Administration Section, Education Research and Project Section were formed. Later, in accordance with the resolution passed through the Fourth Tibetan General Education Conference held in 2003, Traditional Academic Section was set up and existing the Academic Section was turned into Modern Academic Section. Hence, two different academic sections as traditional and modern section were created.

Responsibilities of Modern Academic section.

Planning and organizing of pre-service and in-service teachers training as required by the schools and implementation of school-based Teachers Professional Development Program.
Providing recommendation letter for appointment of Music & Dance teachers, Philosophy teachers and Tibetan language teachers to CTSA, workshops and trainings, planning new innovative programs, transfer of CTSA schools and work related to CTSA.
Maintaining data related to teachers and students strength, and summary of Class X and XII board exam results.
Observing, supervising and taking care of all the Tibetan schools under STSS, TCV, THF, CTSA, SLF and private schools.
Implementing ICT and STEM programs in the schools to enhance the teaching and learning of Science, Maths, and other subjects.
Organizing of EGR workshops for parents and teachers, and Librarian Empowerment Program and distribution of story books.

Establishment and Evolution

According to the Chapter 12.4 of the Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in Exile (BEP), a permanent body shall be established in order to monitor and oversee the educational affairs of the Tibetans in exile. Thus the cabinet (Kashag) formulated the Rules and Regulations of the Education Council and Advisory Committee (ECAC) in 2010. It was followed by the appointment of Mr Tashi Dhondup (Additional Secretary) as the Director of the office of Education Council on 28 February 2011 and other members were also appointed on 16 June 2011. After establishment of a separate office for the Education Council, thus began the official affairs of the Council on 28 August 2011. During the initial period, there were five administrative staff namely the Director, one Deputy Secretary, two Under Secretaries and one office superintendent.

Since the director and the staff of the newly established office of the Education Council were internally transferred from the DoE’s Traditional Education section, the works of the office of Education Council and the Traditional education section were merged together, hence their roles and responsibilities were classified on 5 August 2011. As per the directives, the educational affairs including the framing of the school curricula, textbooks, review of the curricula and textbooks being done by the Traditional Education section till then were re-assigned to the office of Education Council. The Publication section of the DoE was also integrated with the office of Education Council in October 2016. The responsibility of publishing Primary school’s textbooks which were earlier undertaken by the Educational Development and Resource Center (EDRC) of the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) were also handed over to the office of Education Council on 22 May 2014.

Until 2 August 2021, the office of Education Council had eleven staff including the director and two staff in the Administrative section, three staff in the Tibetan language section, four staff in the Translation section and one staff in the Publication section. Based on the nature of the works and affairs of the office, textbook editors under the Translation section have been incorporated with the Tibetan language section giving it a new name, Textbook section, and the remaining staff of the Translation section were merged to the Publication section. Thus the office of Education Council has three sections; Administrative, Textbook and Publication sections.

As per the article 4.3 of the code of ECAC, in order to have free, fair and smooth functioning of the education related policies and laws of the CTA, the ECAC with its own administrative office would be made autonomous under the DoE, as and when the facilities are gradually met.

Annual conferences of the Education Council and Advisory Committee

First Annual conference held on 16 August 2012 • Second Annual conference held on 30 & 31 October 2013 • Third Annual conference held on 30 March 2015 • Fourth Annual conference held on 28 & 29 June 2016 • Fifth Annual conference held on 17 April 2017 • Sixth Annual conference held on 6 & 7 March 2018 • Seventh Annual conference held on 23 & 24 April 2019 • Eighth Annual conference held on 1 & 2 March 2021

Present status

The incumbent Chair and members of ECAC appointed by Kashag include Ven Geshe Lhakdor as the Chair, and Ms Changra Tharlam Dolma (former school principal), Mr Sonam Gyaltsen (Lecturer at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah) and Ven Lhakpa Tsering (Assistant Professor at Central Institute of Higher Studies, Sarnath) as members. The other six ex-officio members of ECAC include; Director of the office of Education Council, Head of the DoE’s Academic section, Education Director of the TCV, Education Officer of the Tibetan Homes Foundation (THF), Director of the Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society (STSS) and Education Officer of the Snow Lion Foundation (SLF). Currently the office of Education Council has eleven staff including the Director with three sections. There are two staff along with the Director in the Administrative section, five staff in the Textbook section and three staff in the Publication section.

Successive Chairs and Directors of ECAC

Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, the former Kalon Tripa of the CTA had been appointed by Kashag (cabinet) as the Chair of the first and second ECAC on 9 April 2012 and 22 May 2014 respectively. Following his resignation from the post, Ven Geshe Lhakdor, Director of the Library of Tibetan works and Archives, was appointed by Kashag as the Chair for the remaining term of the second ECAC on 15 September 2015. He has been reappointed as the Chair of the third and fourth ECAC consecutively in 2017 and 2019. On 28 February 2011, Mr Tashi Dhondup (Additional Secretary) was appointed by Kashag as the Director of the Office of Education Council. Following his resignation, Mr Tsering Samdup (Additional Secretary) was appointed by Kashag as the Director of the Office of Education Council on 22 January 2014. Upon his resignation, Mr Kunga Gyaltsen (Joint Secretary) was appointed by the DoE as the acting Director of the Office of Education Council on 26 March 2019, who was later appointed by Kashag as the Director of the Office of Education Council on 29 April 2019. Following his transfer to the Cabinet Secretariat, Mr Sonam Sangpo (Joint Secretary) was appointed by Kashag as the Director of the Office of Education Council on 24 October 2019. Following his Educational leave, on 6 April 2021, Ms Tenzin Pema (Joint Secretary) has been appointed as the Director of the Office of Education Council.

Roles and Responsibilities of the ECAC

To provide professional guidance and ideas to CTA on Education and Culture, specifically regarding the successful implementation, improvement and smooth functioning of the fundamental principles of the BEP. 2. To make plans and give advice to CTA regarding the improvement of the education and capacity building of the Tibetans in exile. 3. To offer action plan, review and recommendations to CTA on having proper implementation of the CTA’s school curricula in the Tibetan schools. 4. To set up either advisory committee or working committee, whichever required, on the educational affairs of the exile Tibetan schools, which will study, innovate, review and manage the educational projects. 5. To arrange and manage the affairs of Tibetan schools in exile like giving official recognition to the school, granting certificates and supervising educational affairs. 6. As per the necessity of the Tibetan schools in exile, the Council possesses complete responsibility and power to establish, maintain and manage every required programme to improve the quality of teachers by conducting training courses, educational inspection, sharing experiences, etc. 7. In order to enhance the quality and capacity of teachers, the Council will begin and implement a programme of giving teaching license to teachers at the end of every five years of their service to continue their teaching profession. 8. In order to facilitate the special needs of the school systems in filling up the vacant posts with enough qualified teachers in all the schools, the Council will conduct teachers’ training courses, and the Council will innovate standard monitoring tools and guidance for teachers, to inspect the quality of education and results in all the schools, and to decide the required number of teachers and periods, etc. 9. To enable and encourage people in the society who have the best moral character along with the best educational qualification to get recruited in teaching profession. 10. The Council will frame curricula and syllabus of every subject, edit and review textbooks, transcribe, translate and publish supplementary reading materials for teaching and learning. 11. The Council will innovate and implement certain conditions to manage the quality, capacity and character of teachers.

Important activities of the Office of Education Council

To organise the annual conference of the ECAC and to follow up its resolutions As cited in the seventh article of the Rules and Regulations of the ECAC, at least one conference of the ECAC should be organised in a year. Eight conferences have been held since its inception in 2011, and the respective resolutions are being pursued and implemented.
To frame school curricula in accordance with the principles of the BEP In accordance with the principles of the BEP, curricula for Pre-Primary school to Primary school (2008), Middle school (2011), Secondary school (2017) and Tibetan language and cultural schools (2019) had already been framed in the respective years, and the English language curriculum for classes IV to VIII has been revised in 2020. Currently, the Tibetan language curriculum of the Pre-Primary to Middle school is being revised.
To edit and publish textbooks in line with the school curricula In accordance with the BEP and school curricula, the office of Education Council publishes school textbooks including Tibetan language, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Natural Science, Buddhism and Dialectics, Dance and Music.

As of now, Tibetan language, Buddhism and Dialectics textbooks till class XII, Science textbook till class X, Mathematics textbook till class VIII, Social Science textbook till class VIII, and Natural Science textbook till class V are completed. Tibetan language textbook for Pre-Primary school which has been revised & edited by EDRC has been published recently.

The Middle school Tibetan language textbooks have been revised and published recently and currently class VI Social Science textbook is being revised. Similarly, the writing and translation of the class IX Mathematics textbook is under process. Based on the curriculum, new textbooks for the Tibetan language and Cultural schools are being edited.

Tibetan translation projects Children’s storybooks and other education related books are translated and published in order to increase the reading materials for Tibetan students across diaspora. As of now, around 58 children’s storybooks have been translated and published under this project.
Projects towards the enhancement of the Students’ reading skill Ten Phayul children’s magazines are published annually for Middle and Secondary school students, one Gangjong comics for Primary school students, and 2-3 compilations of the stories from Phayul children’s magazines along with one Ling-Gesar storybook. Ten additional storybooks were published in 2018 and 2019 under this project. In order to increase the number of reading materials, reprints of some selected good books are also carried out under this project.

Until now, Phayul children’s magazine has reached its 206th series and around 213 books including compilations, Gangjong and Ling-Gesar storybooks, Sontsa series and other 20 reading materials.

A new set of 40 book series towards the enhancement of the Tibetan children’s reading skill has been published recently.

Projects towards the Enhancement of the writing skill of Teachers and Students In order to facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge amongst the educators, eleven editions of ‘Sherig’ magazine were published since 2001. Currently, the articles written by Tibetan teachers in Tibetan are being uploaded in the official site (www.bodyiglobjong.com) while the outstanding essays written by students in Tibetan language are compiled and published in Nyugsar. So far 25 editions of Nyugsar have been published.
Projects on Secular Ethics For the last many years, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been strongly advocating towards the promotion of human values as one of His Commitments. The Office of Education Council felt it as one of the most important responsibilities in achieving the commitment in Tibetan schools and communities. Therefore, the Office of Education Council organises series of awareness programmes in Tibetan schools and settlements, workshops to teachers, publishes books, and updates the contents of the official website (www.secularethics.net)
Projects on Animations and Audiobooks In order to introduce Tibetan language and culture to young Tibetan children, and to facilitate their listening and speaking skills in Tibetan language, the Office of Education Council has started to produce 2D and 3D animations and animated nursery rhymes for Tibetan children. Until now we have produced two 2D animations along with 12 dubbed animations, produced five 3D animations along with one dubbed animation, ten animated nursery rhymes, and 18 audiobooks.

There was some form of guidance provided to the students and school graduates since 1998 but as time passed, the needs of the students for professional guidance on psychological, academic and career planning increased to manifold which prompted the Department of Education to recruit a trained professional graduates in guidance and counseling as per the Article 17 (5) of Tibetan Charter. The first counselor was appointed on 1st November 2003.

In 2010, the Guidance & Counseling cell which was earlier under the Academic Section was made a separate section of the Department of Education. The Guidance & Counseling section has two branch units at Darjeeling and Doeguling Tibetan Settlement, Mundgod respectively. The Guidance & Counseling cell at Doeguling Tibetan Settlement, Mundgod was established on 26th October, 2005 while the one at Darjeeling was set up in 2007 to cater to the psychological, academic and career needs of the students of schools located in and around these two locations.

In the beginning of 2020, a much needed Comprehensive Guideline on Counseling Program was developed. This section also has an Inclusive Educator trained in Special Education to look after the needs of the specially challenged students and to provide guidance to them.

Main Responsibilities of the Section:

To plan & organize professional development workshops/training to the Guidance Counselors of the schools under the Department of Education
To provide professional consultation to the School Guidance Counselors from time to time
To prepare counseling related project proposals and implement them accordingly
To visit schools under CTSA and provide guidance & counseling services
To conduct and provide counseling services to the parents in the Tibetan Settlements
To administer and conduct Psychometric Career Aptitude Test to students
To upload and update the information on counseling website
To provide psychological consultation services to clients who drop in at the office
To conduct awareness workshop on Inclusive Education to Stage and Primary Teachers
To conduct assessments in schools for early detection of specially challenged students

In 2006, for the preservation and promotion of Tibetan language, the 13th Kashag (the cabinet of Tibetan secretariat) has emphasized and set up a terminology desk under the supervision and administration of the publication section, Department of Education. The main motive behind this project is to standardize the terms emerging in different fields of study and popularize the new terminologies for common use. Since October, 2016 the desk has been functioning as an independent and separate sections of the department.

Functions of the Terminology Section.

To search for words for general use or modern terms, translate their definitions and prepare drafts for the High-level Tibetan Terminology Standardizing Committee Meeting held thrice a year.
To give light to the old and extinct terms in the Buddhist text (Kagyur and Tengyur) and make extensive use of them accordingly.
To combine and edit the standardized terms and publish them in the yearly publication “Glossary of Standardized terms”.
To give outreach awareness talk on the importance of Tibetan terminology and its standardizing process by visiting different Tibetan settlements, schools and institutions.

Scholarship Announcement

All the scholarship Announcements of the Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration are uploaded in the Departmental website. Those interested in applying for the scholarship are requested to visit www.sherig.org