By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, February 12: Around eighty Tibetan college students from 22 different Indian cities have gathered for the 9th Tibetan College Student’s Conference at the Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education in Bangalore.
Choepa Kyab, the Chief organizer of the students’ conference, said, “Unlike previous years which were more of workshop based, this year the students did presentation on various subjects and actively participated in the discussion.”
The theme of this year’s conference is the ‘Status of current Tibetan College Students’ Education and its progress’. Kyab further noted that the conference aimed for the students to identify oneself and build a strong relationship among Tibetan college students, a number that has been growing over the years.
The conference also had talks by resource persons on various topics ranging from human rights, Tibet’s environment and nomads of Tibet. Tsering Tsomo, Executive Director of Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, and Thinley Wangtop, Researcher at Tibet Policy Institute spoke to the students.
The Empowering the Vision Project (ENVISION) also gave workshops on ‘Effective Presentation skills’ and ‘Self-Exploration and Career Planning’.
Kyab also said that a report containing appeals from the students at the conference will be submitted to Ngodup Tsering, Minister of Department of Education of the Tibetan government in exile, and Tsewang Yeshi, President of Tibetan Children’s Villages.
A key agenda of the conference is the assessment of the “Action Plans and Resolution” set forth in the previous conference and putting forward its next set of action plans and resolutions.
Tomorrow, Speaker of Tibetan Parliament in exile, Penpa Tsering, will give a talk on Middle Way Approach followed by interaction with the students.
The conference had honored Ama Jetsun Pema with Gangchen Bodkyi Ama Award and Prof. Dr M. N. Rajesh, University of Hyderabad with TCSC award for his long time support for Tibet.
The conference. held every year, is an initiative by the college students with the first one in Mangalore in 2006, hosted by Tibetan Student Association Mangalore.
The conference will be concluded on February 14, 2015.
