Dharamshala: Kalon (Minister) Tharlam Dolma Changra of the Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration, attended the opening ceremony of the 17th Annual School Heads’ Meeting of Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society (STSS) earlier today at the Norbu House in Dharamshala, 10 January 2025.
This three-day meeting, being held from 10 to 12 January, was attended by 29 school heads to thoroughly deliberate on improving Tibetan language standards among STSS students and to promote an outcome-focused education system.
The event began with brief introductory remarks by Tsering Dhondup Drongpa, the Director of STSS, who provided a succinct overview of the meeting and its five key agendas. These included: updating the progress made on implementing resolutions from the previous meeting; discussing the elimination of punitive and reward-based measures in assessing and influencing students’ educational performance; standardising the examination system across all STSS member schools; intensifying efforts to improve Tibetan language proficiency among students in grades VI to VIII; and exploring ways to effectively implement resolutions from the recently concluded 8th Tibetan General Conference on Education. He emphasised, “This time, we have not tabled many agendas for deliberation to ensure focused discussions and the adoption of actionable resolutions.”
While commending the meeting for highlighting the issue of Tibetan students’ gradual decline in linguistic proficiency as they progress through the grades, Kalon Tharlam Dolma Changra acknowledged the complex challenges involved in preserving and promoting Tibetan cultural heritage, especially the Tibetan language. She emphasised the importance of improving teachers’ Tibetan language skills to address this concern. The Kalon remarked, “While every teacher excels in their specific subject, many lack proficiency in Tibetan, which affects their ability to effectively teach. The lack of language proficiency often limits the clarity of instructions, making it difficult for students to fully comprehend and process the information being conveyed.”
The Kalon also emphasised the importance of enhancing students’ listening skills, stating, “If you listen well, you will learn well. And if you read well, you will write well.”
Furthermore, Education Kalon encouraged teachers to thoroughly prepare and study the subjects they will be teaching in the coming year. This, she noted, would help simplify their instructions for students. She also reflected on her own experiences, recalling how such preparation had greatly benefited her during her past career as a teacher.
Apart from these, the Kalon urged school administrations to be more compassionate toward Tibetan parents in exile. He asked that children be allowed to enrol as long as they meet the basic criteria, without strict scrutiny of additional requirements.
Following the Education Kalon’s address, Deputy Director of the STSS Tenzin Nagdon conveyed a vote of thanks.