His Holiness visits Tibetan school in Kalimpong, tells students to study hard[Thursday, 16 December 2010, 3:26 p.m.]

Local people in Kalimpong in India’s north-eastern state of West Bengal present cultural song and dance performance in honour of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to the region

DHARAMSHALA:
Encouraging Tibetan students at the Central School for Tibetans in
Kalimpong to do their best in studies, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said
the establishment Tibetan schools became our top priority after coming
into exile in 1959. “The setting up of schools was one of the
most important tasks that we undertook after coming to India. The
school in Kalimpong was one of the Tibetan schools that we had built since 1960 to
provide modern education to our children,” His Holiness said during his
visit to the school located in the northeastern state of West Bengal on
Tuesday (14 December).The current school enrollment is 554 (256
boys and 298 girls). The school has about 40 faculty staff members and
provides healthy modern education, firmly based on moral values and in
congruence with Tibetan cultural traditions. It follows the curriculum
set by Central Board of Secondary Education, Delhi.His Holiness
stressed that Tibetan youths must be equipped with both modern and
traditional Tibetan education, which he said has been the policy of the
Central Tibetan Administration since Tibetan schools were first set up
in 1960. India’s prime minister of that time, Pandit Nehru, took
special responsibility in setting up separate schools for Tibetans to
study their own language, he added.His Holiness said the school
has live up to our well-defined aim and hope in producing many
successful students since its inception, adding that those who are
presently studying must do their best. He said more than 90
percent of Tibetans in exile have received education and many of the
students pursue further studies in Indian colleges and universities.
This is an important achievement of our administration’s endeavour in
providing education to our children in the last 50 years. In terms of
education, the Tibetans living both in and outside Tibet have done
well, he added.To a group of large number of monks gathered at
the event, His Holiness said they (monastic community) need to imbibe
and promote in themselves the three trainings – training in moral
discipline, training in concentration and training in wisdom. Then in a
lighter mood, His Holiness challenged them how much they could score if
they were to give a test on the three training.His Holiness
said students and all concerned should not squander their precious time
and make utmost efforts to make their meaningful.Underlining
the importance of studying Buddhism, he said different religious
traditions of this world have helped millions of people apart from the
benefits brought about by the enormous advancing material development. Following his address, His Holiness gave a long life empowerment (tsewang) and oral transmissions of sacred texts.Later,
the head of the CST school Kalimpong and Tibetan settlement officer
presented their annual work reports, which received applause from His
Holiness the Dalai Lama for its comprehensive. (Based on report filed by Sheja Editor Kelsang Khedup from Kalimpong)