By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, January 2: Over three hundred Tibetan students of class X from various Tibetan schools in India and Nepal today gathered at Tibetan Children’s Village, lower Dharamshala for a week-long leadership workshop.
Presiding over the inaugural ceremony as the chief guest was the Tibetan Prime Minister Dr Lobsang Sangay. Ngodup Tsering, Minister of Department of Education; Topgyal Tsering, Secretary of Department of Education; senior officials and teachers were present at the opening session.
Addressing the ceremony, Tibetan PM Sangay encouraged the students to make the best use of the leadership workshop and become good leaders of future Tibet. Sangay reiterated his administration’s resolve to improve the quality of education in Tibetan schools saying that education serves as the backbone of any society.
Ngodup Tsering, Minister of Department of Education said that education is one of the most important characteristics of a good leader. “There is a leadership quality within all of us and this leadership workshop aims to bring out the leadership quality within you,” he said.
Tsering added, “It is unlikely that we will win over China in terms of population, economy or military might. However, we can challenge China with our efficiency, education and potential.”
Resource persons speaking at the workshop include Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament; Ngodup Tsering, Minister of Education; Tsering Tsomo, Executive Director of Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy; former political prisoners Golog Jigme and Bhakdro, among others.
Recipients of Gaden Phodrang Students Award 2014 will also be interacting with the students.
The Department of Education currently oversees 73 Tibetan schools – excluding the pre-primary sections and private schools – in India and Nepal under different autonomous administrative bodies. There are around 24,000 students and 2,200 staff members in these schools.
