DEPARTMENTAL BRIEFS Education Secretary Tour Schools Tibetan Heads of School's Conference Held Seminar on His Holiness' Biography Schools Do Well in Class XII Board Examinations CTSA Schools Declared Nationwide Topper Schools in Nepal Excel in Board Examinations CTSA Hold Annual Institutional Heads Meeting Annual School Rector's Meeting Held Nepal School Heads Meeting Held Re-orientation course for Teachers at Sarah School Administrators attend Int'l Citizenship Course Workshops School Inspection SCHOOL FEATURE SOS Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara, Nepal SCHOLARSHIP NEWS Scholarship News PUBLICATION NEWS Publication News PROJECT NEWS Project News

THE NEWS

Education Secretary Tour Schools Education Secretary Ven. Karma Gelek Yuthok and Dr. M.S. Verma, Director of Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA), Delhi visited Central Schools for Tibetans (CST) at Darjeeling, Sonada, Ravangla, Kalimpong and Sambhota Tibetan School at Gangtok from May 25-30. They were warmly received by the Settlement Officer, Principal, Headmaster, staff, children and parents at each school. They inspected the classes and interacted with students, teachers and parents. The dignitaries appreciated the marked improvement made by the schools in academics and administration. Tibetan Heads of School's Conference Held The Department of Education held a two-day meeting of the heads of various Tibetan schools in exile at Dharamsala from May 14-15. Seventy-two participants’ viz. Directors, Principals, Rectors, Headmasters, Headmistresses and teacher representative of Tibetan schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan attended the conference. The meeting deliberated on three agenda items, namely implementation of Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in exile; importance and need for specialised studies; and identifying problems and solutions to improve general standard of education. The meeting was inaugurated by Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche. Kalon for Education Mr. Thupten Lungrig presided over the meeting which was also attended by the Education Secretary and senior officials from the department. Sixteen resolutions were unanimously passed on the above agendas. Seminar on His Holiness' Biography In commemoration of the 70th birth anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Department of Education, CTA organised a seminar on the life history of His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama at the TCV auditorium, Dharamsala on June 15. Thirty students of Class XII from 15 different Tibetan schools in India and Nepal presented papers on topics viz. the origin of the lineage of the Dalai Lamas, efforts made by the present Dalai Lama to reform Tibet prior Chinese invasion in 1949 and his efforts to resolve the Tibetan issue, promote global peace and universal responsibility. Mr. Pema Jungney, Chairman of the Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies (ATPD) was the chief guest on the occasion. Nearly one thousand people observed the seminar proceedings. Education Kalon delivered the valedictory address and awarded certificates to the participants. Schools Do Well in Class XII Board Examinations This year, Tibetan schools achieved an overall pass percentage of 93.38% (last year 89.05%) in the Class XII All India Senior School Certificate Examination 2005 conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE), Delhi. Out of 906 students who appeared, 846 successfully passed. School-wise results are as below: School Students Appeared Pass% School Position CST Kalimpong 32 100 1 TCV Gopalpur 146 99.32 2 TCV SOS Bylakuppe 149 97.99 3 CST Paonta Sabhib 29 96.55 4 CST Bylakuppe 25 96 5 CST Mundgod 111 95.5 6 CST Dalhousie 36 94.44 7 THF Mussoorie 81 92.59 8 CST Mussoorie 85 91.76 9 CST Herbertpur 27 88.89 10 CST Darjeeling 32 87.5 11 CST Shimla 31 87.1 12 TNMF Clementown 42 85.71 13 TCV Dharamsala 80 78.75 14 Stream-wise Toppers: Humanities: Ogyen (82.8%), TCV Gopalpur Science: Jamyang Phuntsok (83%), CST Mussoorie Commerce: Lodhen (88%), TCV SOS Bylakuppe Vocational: Dechen Khandoe (78.16%), CST Mundgod In the Class X All India Secondary School Examination, the overall pass percentage was 71.13% (last year 70.93%). Out of 1202 students who appeared, 855 students passed. CST Kollegal topped with 100% result followed by CST Darjeeling (94.12%), CST Sonada (91.67%), CST Mundgod (90%). Ripudaman Dixit, CST Mundgod secured highest marks with 88.6%. CTSA Schools Declared Nationwide Topper As per results announced by CBSE, Delhi, among various recognized school categories, Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA) schools were declared the topper with pass percentage 93.14% in this year’s Class XII All India Senior Secondary School Examinations. Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVS) stood second with 92.47% followed by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas with 87.08%. Last year, CBSE recognised CTSA as a separate school organization. Schools in Nepal Excel in Board Examinations Namgyal Higher Secondary School, Gokarna, Kathmandu has achieved 97.59% with 81 students pass out of 83 in this year’s Class XII examinations conducted by the Nepal Higher Secondary Education Board. In comparison, the All Nepal Class XII result was 53.58%. The school topper Kalden Tsering scored 75.2%. The school achieved 100% result in this year’s Class X Board examinations, whereas the overall Nepal’s result was 38.2%. Out of 35 students, 18 students secured first division and 17 got second division. In recognition of its academic excellence, the school was ranked fourth among the Ten Best Schools in Nepal by the Nepal National Weekly, July 3, 2005. Srongtsen Bhrikuti Boarding High School, Kathmandu achieved Class X pass percentage of 89.65%. Out of 28 students, 5 obtained first division including one distinction, 20 second division and 3 in compartment. CTSA Hold Annual Institutional Heads Meeting The 16th Annual Meeting of Institutional Heads and Rectors of CTSA was held in Delhi from June 13-16. Matters relating to academics, administration, finance, auditing were discussed. Guest speakers were invited to give talks. Shri Baldev Mahajan, former Joint Secretary, Govt. of India (GOI) and Kasur Tashi Wangdu, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi graced the occasion and talked to the participants. Resource persons from the National Council of Educational Research & Training, New Delhi conducted a one-day workshop on AIDS and Adolescence Education for schools. Eight principals presented their papers on topics viz. utilisation of school development fund & computer fee, grading system for primary classes, classroom supervision by the head of the institution and effective use of resource centre & computer laboratory. . Shri Keshav Desiraju, Chairman, CTSA/ Joint Secretary GOI was chief guest at the valedictory function. DOE officials, Tashi N. Rikha, Joint Secretary and Education Officer Tsering Phuntsok attended the meeting. Annual School Rector’s Meeting Held The Annual School Rector’s Meeting was held on May 16 morning at CTA Conference Hall, Dharamsala. The meeting was attended by all the rectors from residential schools and concerned DOE officials. Education Secretary in his inaugural address welcomed the participants and stressed on the overall academic as well as moral development of the children. The meeting reviewed the follow-up done on the resolutions of the last meeting and discussed various other issues concerning education, health and admissions. Nepal School Heads Meeting Held A meeting of the heads of Tibetan schools in Nepal was held on the afternoon of May 16 at CTA Conference Hall, Dharamsala. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary and attended by concerned DOE officials, Executive Secretary of Snowlion Foundation, Kathmandu Mr. Tsering Topgyal, Principals/Headmasters of Namgyal Higher Secondary School, Srongtsen Bhrikuti Boarding High School, Namgyal Middle School, Lekshed Tsal School, Atisha School, Kailash Middle School and a teacher representative from SOS Hermann Gmeiner High School. Matters concerning the education and administration of Tibetan schools in Nepal were discussed. Re-orientation course for Teachers at Sarah A 3-month special teacher training course organized by the Department of Education began on May 11 at the College of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah to reorient the teachers based on the Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in Exile (BEP). Eighteen candidates are undergoing the training in which Tibetan and Indian educationists have been invited as resource persons. The training will conclude on August 11. In the inaugural speech, the Chief Guest Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche expressed the important task ahead for the trainees in the new educational environment based on BEP and advised them to take up the challenge with sincerity. Education Kalon and Secretary were present at the occasion. Some of the trainees will teach at a pioneer model school, based on the BEP, to be started in October this year at Dharamsala. School Administrators attend Int’l Citizenship Course On the invitation of The College of International Citizenship, Birmingham, U.K, Miss Yarphel Ghani, Principal of CST Paonta Sahib and Mr. Kalsang Dawa, Headmaster of STS Pokhriabong successfully undertook a 10-week course on international citizenship at the college. The school administrators were enriched by the experience and knowledge gained during the course. The Department of Education would like to thank Elly Tobin, the Director of the college for sponsoring the study programme and Mr. Hiro Sukeyasu of Japan for meeting the cost of their return travel to U.K. Workshops Special Needs/ Inclusive Education Workshop for Teachers: A workshop on Special Need/Inclusive Education was conducted by the Department of Education at CTA Conference Hall, Dharamsala from April 24-26. Twenty-six teachers from major Tibetan schools across India and Nepal were invited to the workshop. In keeping with the worldwide shift away from special schooling to mainstream schooling for children with disabilities, the workshop aimed at creating awareness among the school teachers in dealing with the problems faced by the disabled children and on ways to integrate them in the normal schooling along with normal children. The teachers gained valuable understanding about inclusive learning, barrier free environment and effective communication. Maths & Science Workshop for PRTs: In-service workshop for Primary School Teachers (PRT) was conducted by the DOE from April 27-May 5 at the College of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah. Twenty-five teachers of various schools from CTSA, STSA, THF & TNMF School participated in the training. The workshop focused on practical classroom teaching with demonstration lessons, both by the resource persons and participants based on the textbooks. Education Secretary Ven. Karma Gelek Yuthok inaugurated the workshop and Education Kalon Thupten Lungrig addressed the participants during the valedictory function and gave away the certificates. School Inspection Education Officer Tsering Phuntsok visited CST Chauntra for school inspection on June 27-28 and CST Bir on June 29. During the inspections, he observed classroom teaching-learning process, utilisation of educational facilities and overall school management. He interacted with students and teachers and gave various suggestions for further improvement. A meeting was also held with the members of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of CST Bir. SOS Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara, Nepal The SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, Pokhara in Nepal was established in 1987 at the Tashiling Tibetan Refugee Camp, Chhorepatan. Over the years, the school has catered to the educational needs of the refugee children at kindergarten to secondary level. At present the school has on roll 480 children, 32 teachers and 18 general staff. Pokhara lies 200 km to the west of Kathmandu. It is a beautiful valley surrounded by lakes and snow clad mountains. Popular with tourists, as it is the base for several breathtaking trekking routes to Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges in the mid-Himalayas. The school is run under the auspices of the ‘SOS Children’s Villages, Nepal’ with its head office in Kathmandu. Besides children from SOS Tibetan Children’s Village, Chhorepatan, and nearby settlements of Tashiling, Paljorling, Tashi Palkhiel and Jampaling– which are in and around Pokhara, the school also absorbs Tibetan children from far flung remote regions of Dorpatan, Lo Tserok and Manang along the Tibetan border. The school provides a unique opportunity and access to excellent educational facilities, comparable to the best schools in the country. The school has separate hostel for senior boys and girl. A total of 197 students have graduated Grade X from the school since the first batch of 1997. The overall pass percentage in all these years has remained about 98%. Beginning from academic session 2005-2006, the school will be up-graded to a Higher Secondary level (Grades XI & XII) with Commerce as the elective subject. Besides imparting the national curriculum, the school lays strong emphasis on the preservation of Tibetan culture. Tibetan is taught as a compulsory subject up to grade 10. However, non-Tibetan students are not required to study the language. The school remains in close touch with all the other seven SOS Hermannn Gmeiner Schools and SOS Children’s Village Projects in the country. Mr. Tsering Thondup has been the Principal since its inception. Mr.Gyatso, the Vice-Principal, has equally shared the responsibility in the progress of the school. Both have recently been awarded with the prestigious SOS Ring of Honour from Mr. Helmut Kutin, President of SOS Kinderdorf International on April 3, 2005. The Principal is a recipient of the 25 years’ Service Award from DOE. Scholarship News The Department of Education conducted the final selection test for 2006 batch of Tibetan students for Fulbright Scholarships in April in New Delhi. Twelve selected candidates (08 for Degree courses and 4 for Non-Degree courses) were given an orientation course at the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi on preparation of academic documents for admission requirements. This batch of students will leave for United States in August 2006. Ms. Kerri S. Hannan, Exchanges Officer at the American Center, New Delhi and assistant Ms. Rajagopal Geetha visited Dharamsala in May. They received an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and later met with members of the central coordinating committee of the Tibetan Fulbright Alumni Association. The Department hosted a farewell dinner in honour of Ms. Hannan, as she is returning to the United States. The Department of Education conducted Entrance Test for selection for the reserve seats in Medicine MBBS (3 seats) and Engineering (7 seats). The test was conducted at two centers viz. Bangalore and New Delhi. A two-day orientation course was given to the 2005 batch of Fulbright Scholars on June 23-24 in Dharamsala. Talks on important policy issues of Central Tibetan Administration and on the education system and life in US were arranged. On June 20, the DoE Scholarship Committee conducted selection for this year’s DOE scholarship recipients from around 280 applicants. Publication News Three new issues titled: Tibetan Hats, containing information on about one hundred hats of various kind; Inventions & Inventors, contains information on modern scientific and technical inventions; Samkyi, a comic storybook of a contemporary Tibetan girl with misconceptions about real social life will soon be published for distribution to the schools. A database on Tibetan Terminology Project is being developed for uniformity of inputs and long term processing facility. All the participant organisations have now formally started the drafting work. Few new officers are expected to join in the co-ordinating office under the Department of Education by the end of August 2005. Sherig Journal issue nos. 2 & 3 were released. Nyugsar issue nos. 6 & 7, a collection of children’s award winning essays, were also released and sent to all Tibetan schools. Project News Meeting with DANIDA on BEP Action Plan: Mr. Johnny Baltzersen and Dr. Bista, Consultant, commissioned by Danish Foreign Ministry made a weeklong visit to Dharamsala in June to discuss and formulate a programme for Danish assistance in the implementation of the Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in exile. Detailed discussions were held with Education Kalon, Education Secretary, senior officials of DOE, STSA, SARD and Planning Commission. They also briefly met with Kalon Tripa. Paonta School Hostel Mattress project: Teigar Ungdom School, Denmark through Norwegian Church Aid and SARD donated funds for purchasing new mattresses for the hostels at CST Paonta Sahib replacing the worn out old mattresses. We thank the donor and coordinating agencies for their support. Chauntra School staff-quarter construction: The much needed funding for staff quarter construction project at CST Chauntra was provided by Tibet Charity, Denmark. Construction of 2 family quarters for the school dispensary staff has been completed in May 2005. We thank Tibet Charity, Denmark for funding this project. Project Monitoring at CST Chauntra and STS Bhuntar: Additional Secretary Mr. Ngodup Dorjee, who heads the Project Section, DOE visited CST Chauntra and STS Bhuntar to monitor on-going projects. He was accompanied by STSA Director Mr. Karma Chungdak and Mr.Lothar, the consultant architect. At STS Bhuntar, he inspected the staff quarter construction project and made some on-the-spot recommendations. Library Furnishing at Sherab Gatsel Lobling(Tibetan Transit School): The library at the Tibetan Transit School was further upgraded and furnished with the kind financial support from Flora Family Foundation (USA) through The Tibet Fund (USA). The books purchased were recommended by both the teachers and students based on need. We thank Flora Family Foundation for their assistance and The Tibet Fund for support. Development Projects at Sherab Gatsel Lobling(TTS): Construction of 16 units of Type A and 7 units of Type B single staff quarters and work on the construction of retaining walls, drainage canals and boundary wall around the campus have been completed. Construction of a new school library is underway and is due for completion in September 2005. The project is fully funded by EU through Tibet House Trust, London (UK). We thank them for the kind assistance.

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