DHARAMSHALA, June 22: Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, today addressed a workshop for teachers from five different Tibetan schools at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah.
The two-day holistic and integrated programme workshop is being organised by the exile Tibetan administration’s Department of Education, in collaboration with National Geographic Explorer (NGX) Programme, USA.
Sikyong Sangay, who is also the Education Kalon, pointed out that education for Tibetan students serves a greater purpose than just preparing them for their future careers.
“We are here because education for Tibetan community is much more important than general community because the Tibetan students are not just studying to have a career but to become leaders in the movement,” the Harvard law graduate said.
“Our children are the future seeds of Tibet which is why it is essential to have quality education and training, hence our partnership with NatGeo Explorer will benefit the entire community.”
The special year-round programme, which facilitates a seamless integration of the NGX Programme into Science, Environmental Science and English lessons will be implemented in five Tibetan schools for class VI to X students beginning this July.
The five Tibetan schools which will be benefitting from the programme in its first year are Tibetan Children’s Village Schools in Suja and Chauntra, Sambhota Tibetan Schools in Chauntra and Paonta Sahib and Mevon Petoen Tsuglak School in Dharamshala.
“Science and conversation go hand in hand and with science a community grows. The Explorer makes students better communicators and introduces them to new developments in Science and Environmental Education which includes new invention and discoveries,” NatGeo Trainer Lata Vasvani said. “This programme motivates students and more importantly makes them learners for life.”
NGX Programme has benefited more than 2 million children across 13 countries in terms of improving children’s proficiency in English and knowledge in Science. This programme uses high-quality 21st century materials for teaching recognised as amongst the best for its content accuracy and research. Over 2000 Tibetan students are expected to benefit from the programme in its first year of implementation.
Ngawang Thupten, a teacher at TCV Suja said: “The society of National Geographic has a global influence and such a workshop can be very valuable in our daily teachings. We highly appreciate the value that this society cultivates among the audience.”
