SHERIG NEWS VOL. 16 No. 4 WINTER 2012 1

SHERIG NEWSQUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

CENTRAL TIBETAN ADMINISTRATION

Vol.16; No.4

This page plus

Academic News---------------2

Education Council News----3

Scholarship News-------------4

About us…

Sherig News is the official newsletter of the Depart-ment of Education, one of the seven departments of the Central Tibetan Administra-tion based in Dharamsala since 1960. DoE is the apex body responsible for provid-ing support for the educa-tional and welfare needs of over 22,000 Tibetan refugee children in India and Nepal.

For suggestions & com-ments, do contact us at:

Department of EducationCentral Tibetan AdministrationGangchen KyishongDharamsala 176215District KangraHimachal Pradesh. INDIA

Email: education@tibet.netTel: (01892) 222572, 222721Fax: (01892) 223481

Advisor: Dr. Lobsang Sangay(Kalon for Education)

Ngodup Tsering(Education Secretary)

EditorGyaltsen(Science Education Officer)

Mailing CoordinatorTsering Yangkyi

WINTER 2012

www.sherig.org

Government of India Approves the Transfer of CTSA Schools to the Central Tibetan Ad-ministration

The Government of India has approved the transfer of schools run by the Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA) to the Depart-ment of Education (DoE) of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). The decision was taken during the Union Cabinet meeting held in New Delhi on January 10, 2013. Although the CTSA schools will be run and operated by the CTA, the Government of India will continue its funding to run the schools at the rate of Rs 43 crore per an-num plus an annual increment of 5 percent. The Indian staff working in CTSA schools would be given an option to join the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan/Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti / Central Board of Secondary Education / Demonstration Schools of National Council of Educational Re-search and Training. There are 21 schools under the CTSA spread across India in which over 7500 students are enrolled. The move to transfer these schools arouse from the fact that the CTA has done well in managing a number of its own schools with over 17,000 students.

USAID Mission Director Visits Dharamsala to Launch the Tibet Education Project On November 23, the Mission Direc-tor of USAID India Mission, Mr. William Ham-mick, visited Dharamsala to formally launch the Tibet Education Project. The Tibet Education Project will be implemented in close coopera-tion with the Department of Education, CTA. The overall goal of the Tibet Educa-

tion project is to strengthen the Tibetan educa-tion system in innovative and replicable ways that equip young Tibetans to succeed in modern professions, become strong and visionary leaders, and thrive in the global economy while sustaining the unique identity and culture. The project will focus on three core objectives viz., to strengthen the capacity of Tibetan educational professionals and increase young Tibetans' interest in pursu-ing educational and other modern professions; to improve the learning opportunities for Tibetan students to prepare for modern professions while retaining their Tibetan identity; and to strengthen management and development of the Tibetan ed-ucation system. During his visit, Mr. William attended an event to inaugurate the Tibet Fund's new field office in Gangchen Kyishong. Later, Tibet Fund's President Mr. Rinchen Dharlo and DoE's Addi-tional Secretary Mr. Topgyal Tsering announced the launch of the Tibetan Education Project dur-ing a press conference at CTA.

DoE Holds the First Tibetan Teachers’ Meeting in Dharamsala The First Tibetan Teacher’s Meeting was held at the Lower TCV School, Dharamshala from January 3-5, 2013. Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay and the Secretary of the Department of Education Mr. Ngodup Tsering graced the inaugural function of the event organized by the Department of Edu-cation, Central Tibetan Administration. Over 153 Tibetan teachers representing all the Tibetan schools in India and Nepal attended the meeting. During the meeting, the teachers de-liberated on the best practices and challenges in the field education. Former Kalon Tripa, Prof. Sam-dhong Rinpoche, was invited as a guest speaker

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay at the TEP Launch Ceremony with USAID India, Mission Director, William Hammink & Tibet Fund Representatives

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Visiting CST Bylakuppe in the Early 1970's. File Photo

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on the first day of the meeting. He spoke on the ill-effects of ‘competition, comparison and corporal punishment’ in school. Rinpoche mentioned that competition and comparison amongst children has little value in promoting learning and intellectual development. On contrary, he described ‘victory-for-oneself-and-defeat-for-others’ mentality as something that stems from hatred and lack of concern for others’ wellbeing. The three-day event culminated with valedictory speech by the Secretary of the Department of Education, Mr Ngodup Tsering and thank-you note by the Additional Secretary Mr. Topgyal Tsering. The project was funded by PRM(USA).

Education Secretary Visits Buntar

Education Secretary Mr. Ngodup Tsering visited the Centre for Teacher Education at Buntar, near Kullu in Himachal Pradesh on November 23. He was accorded warm reception by the Director Tashi Dhondup, staff and students. The chairman of local Tibetan Assembly, Mr. Paljor and representatives from the Tibetan Settlement Office also came to receive him at the Centre. The Secretary was accompanied by the Education Of-ficer Tsering Phuntsok during the two day visit to Bhuntar and Manali. The Centre was inaugurated on September 3, 2012 as an off campus branch of Central University of Tibetan Stud-ies, Sarnath. This year, 53 students got admission to pursue innovative 4-year integrated B.Sc. B.Ed. & B.A. B.Ed courses. During the visit, the Secretary inspected the various education-al facilities at the teacher training centre and interacted with the students. He also met the teachers separately. The students

presented inter-house quiz on Zoology.

ACADEMIC NEWSDoE Education Officer Visits Tibetan Schools for Research DoE Education Officer for Humanities Mr. Kalsang Wangdu visited eight sample Tibetan schools in India under different administrations between September to November 2012. The schools include STS Petoen, TCV Lower, THF Mussoorie, CST Mussoorie, STS Paonta Sahib, TCV Bylak-uppe, CST Bylakuppe and CST CVP Bylakuppe. The main objective of this visit and research is to identify problems and challenges facing Tibetan education in exile. The report of the visit will be tabled during the Education Advisory Com-mittee (EAC) Conference that will be held in mid 2013. The EAC comprises of experts on education and its primary re-sponsibility is to provide necessary guidance to the Kashag and the DoE on matters related to improving the standard of education in Tibetan schools.

Education Secretary Attends Academic Meeting at NCERT The Secretary of Department of Education, Cen-tral Tibetan Administration, Mr. NgodupTsering, attended a meeting on “Improving Academic Performance in Science, Maths and English language” at the National Council of Edu-cational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi on De-cember 04, 2012. The DoE Education Officers, Mr. Tsering Phuntsok and Mr. Kalsang Wangdu, and CTSA Education Officers, Mr. A.S. Rawat, Dr. Renu Pant, and Dr. Rajeshwari Rana par-ticipated in the meeting with the subject experts of NCERT. Miss Tenzin Dasel, the new Education Officer at the Bureau of H.H. the Dalai Lama, New Delhi also attended the meet-ing. The meeting was initiated by the Director of Cen-tral Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA) Mr. AlokVerma who is also the Secretary, NCERT. The NCERT was set up by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on academic matters related to school education. The members shared challenges being faced by Ti-betan schools in exile, particularly in the field of Science, Maths and English language education, and discussed solu-tions for overcoming the challenges. The DoE officials also met with the faculties of the Department of Education in Languages, NCERT, and dis-cussed the course outlines for the upcoming English language teaching workshops for PRTs and TGTs for Tibetan teachers in 2013.

Workshop on Creative and Critical Thinking Skills The Department of Education organized a six-day workshop on Critical, Cooperative and Creative Thinking Skills at College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah from No-vember 1-6. 17 Trained Graduate Teachers (Science) from Samb-

The DoE Secretary Interacting with Students in Physics Lab at CTE, Buntar

Sikyong Addressing the Participants of the First Tibetan Teachers' Meeting

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hota Tibetan Schools Society, Tibetan Homes Foundation and Snow Lion Foundation-Nepal and, 19 Primary Teacher Train-ees of College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah attended the workshop. The resource persons for the first four days of the workshop-Mr. Eric Frangenheim, Ms. Maragret Bishop, Ms. Jan Moore and Ms. Kerry Wright-came from Australia for the second time to expand Tibetan teachers' pedagogy and teach-ing techniques. All the resource persons are highly experienced in innovative teaching and have extensive expertise in educa-tional training and consultancy. The primary goal of the training was to enhance teaching practices in the classroom and add new teaching ideas to the school culture. The Education Officers of the Department of Educa-tion, Mr. Kalsang Wangdu, Ms. Tenzin Paldon and Mr. Gyaltsen also took individual sessions on the topics Education in Mother Tongue, Inclusive Education and Collaborative Learning System respectively. The project was funded by SOIR-IM.

Inclusive Education Workshop The Department of Education organized Inclusive Education workshop for Primary Teachers at College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah from October 15-20. 24 teach-ers from schools under Tibetan Children's Village, Tibetan Homes Foundation, Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society, Snow Lion Foundation Nepal and Tibetan Nehru Memorial Foundation attended the workshop. Ms. Lin Morgan from UK and Ms. Manjulaa Kalyaan from Hyderabad conducted the training. The project was funded by DANIDA, Denmark

DoE Starts School-based Test Preparation Coaching for Class XII Students The Department of Education, Central Tibetan Ad-ministration, started school-based test preparation coaching for class XII students of schools under the CTSA, STSS and TNMF for the academic year 2012-13. The main purpose of this one-month coaching is to enhance students' examination performance in the AISSCE (All India Secondary School Certificate Examination) in order to help them gain admission

in reputed institutes for higher learning. Hence the coaching focuses on acquisition of test-taking skills and techniques. The coaching that started in 9 Tibetan schools in the month of December/January benefited 509 students of Science, Arts and Commerce Streams. The project was funded by USAID

DoE Education Officer Attends Tibetan Science Conclave DoE Education Officer for Science Mr. Gyaltsen at-tended the Second Tibetan Science Conclave held in Tibetan Youth Hostel, Bangalore from December 26-29. About 55 science students from different cities in India (like Banga-lore, New Delhi, Chennai, Mysore, Ajmer and Baroda) par-ticipated in the conclave. The event was organized by the Tibetan Scientific Society which is a non-profitable organization started by a handful of Tibetan students who are pursuing doctorate de-grees in science in India. The organization's mission is to en-sure proper guidance for Tibetan students pursuing science studies in universities/colleges and to encourage them into scientific research. The Education Officer gave a presentation on the Department of Education's initiatives to improve the qual-ity of science education. He introduced the participants to all the existing science education projects of the Department of Education viz., Summer Science Teaching program, Mobile Science Exhibition, Technology-based After-school Program, STEM Project for Class VI to VIII students, Establishing Sci-ence Centers, Class XII Examination Coaching, Student In-ternship Program, Avantifellow's Program and, Science and Mathematics Excellence Award.

Academic Inspections

* DoE Education Officer Mr. Tsering Phuntsok along with CTSA Education Officer Dr. Renu Pant visited CST Dalhousie on November 1 & 2, for annual academic inspec-tion. * DoE Education Officer Mr. Ngodup Tenpa and CTSA Education Officer Dr. Renu Pant visited CST Herbert-pur and CST Mussoorie on November 15 & 16, and CST Shimla and CST Dholanji on November 22 & 23, for annual academic inspection.* DoE Education Officer Mr. Gyaltsen along with CTSA Education Officer Mr. A.S. Rawat visited CST Mund-god on September 30 & October 1, for annual academic in-spection. The Education Officers observed the classroom teaching-learning process and daily school activities. They also interacted with the students and teachers. Staff meeting was held at the end of the inspection during which the Educa-tion Officers shared their observations and offered sugges-tions for overall improvement.

EDUCATION COUNCIL NEWS• The Text Book Editors of the DoE, Mr. Gedun Dho-nyo & Mr. Tashi Dorjee visited Tibetan schools in south India

The Participants of the Workshop on Critical Thinking Skills with the Secretary of the DoE and the Resource Persons

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(viz., TCV Bylakuppe, CST Bylakuppe, CST Mundgod, CST Gurupura ,CST Kollegal) from November 7-27, to conduct research on the Primary Tibetan Textbooks. The research would help the editors in making necessary changes and im-prove the future editions.

• The Textbook Editors of the DoE, Mr. Choephel Lungtok and Mr. Buddha Kyap visited STS Chauntra, STS Paonta Sahib, THF Mussoorie and TCV Selakui from Octo-ber 31 to November 10, to introduce the Social Science and Science textbooks (in Tibetan) published by the Department of Education. They also observed classroom teaching and gave demonstration lessons on the use of the new textbooks in school.

• The Department of Education organized a meeting to formulate Science and Mathematics Curriculum Frame-work for class IX and X based on the Basic Education Policy at Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamsala. The meeting was held on November 15 & 16. A committee comprising of concerned DoE officials and experienced science and math-ematics teachers (from CTSA, TCV and STSS schools) at-tended the meeting.

• The Department of Education organized a two-day meeting to formulate Social Science Curriculum Framework for class IX and X (based on the Basic Education Policy) at Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamsala. The meet-ing was held on November 22nd and 23rd. Selected Social Science teachers (from CTSA, STSS and TCV schools) and Social Science Textbook Editors of the DoE attended the meeting. The newly formulated Social Science Curriculum Framework for class IX and X includes Tibetan History, Re-ligious History and Current Situation of Tibetans Inside and Outside Tibet.

SCHOLARSHIP NEWSDepartment of Education Announces New Scholarship Scheme The Department of Education of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) announced a new scholarship scheme based on merit and need. The new scheme aims to provide in-centives to talented and hard-working students while also be-ing mindful of the needs of the economically disadvantaged students and families. It aims to fulfill the vision of His Holi-ness the Dalai Lama and reflects the 14th Kashag's prioritiza-

tion of education. The new scheme represents a 50% increase in annual scholarship funding. Some of the highlights of the new scheme are: Gaden Phodrang Student Merit Award: The De-partment of Education has increased both the amount and the number of awardees of this prestigious award. The number of awardees has been increased to nine students from the pres-ent three, and the cash award is now 20,000 INR, 15,000 INR and 10,000 INR for the top three recipients in each of the three streams of Science, Arts and Commerce. Sikyong Scholarship: This new scholarship is be-ing rolled out to encourage the students to work harder and perform better in the board exams. Any student who obtains 95% or higher in the class XII board examination will be awarded this prestigious scholarship, with a monetary prize of 100,000 INR (One lakh rupees). Sikyong Award for Academic Accomplishments: Any student or candidate who has completed Ph.D. in any field will be awarded the Sikyong Award of 20,000 INR, along with a certificate of appreciation. Students scoring higher percentages on the annual exam will be rewarded with higher scholarship amounts. Presently, we provide the same scholarship amount to all the students, irrespective of performance. For example, a student with a 60% score receives the same amount as one with 80% score. However, now under the new scholarship scheme, stu-dents will be awarded scholarships ranging from 35,000 INR to 100,000 INR depending on their performance in the school board exams. Cash Incentive Award: If a student currently hold-ing a scholarship scores 75% or more on the final yearly ex-amination, he or she will be offered 10,000 INR, in addition to the regular scholarship amount he or she is offered. Special Scholarships for Economically Disadvan-taged (Nyamthak) Students: This scholarship has been in-troduced for students who are financially below the poverty line as determined by the CTA. It aims to help such students complete a higher education, which will in turn help alleviate families from poverty. The students under this category are eligible to apply who score a minimum of 40% on the board exam.

• The Department of Education has made announce-ments on Tibet Fund Supplementary Scholarship, Central European University, Hungary Scholarship and EMMA West Scholarship for the year 2013 respectively. (For details, please visit www.sherig.org)

• Mrs. Chemi Tseyang, Joint Secretary of the DoE vis-ited New Delhi on December 26, and spoke at a conference on 'Sherig Scholarship-New Scheme'. 106 college/university students were present at the conference organized by the Ti-betan College Students' Conference Organizing Committee.

The Participants of the Social Science Curriculum Framework Meeting