Specialized education

In a recent address to Tibetan university students in Delhi, HH the Dalai Lama stressed on the importance of specialized education for young Tibetans. This is not his first mention and nor it will be his last. 50 years in exile, the Tibetan society has improved tremendously on literacy rate. Every year hundreds of Tibetan students go to colleges as they graduated high school and around the same number of students  completed their 3 year college degrees in India and come back to soceity to serve. But how many of them have successfully took up positions or  the challenge  to serve. It is not the mumber of graduates that counts, but the quality of their education and the skill that that they brings to put to use. That is why specialized education is the  buzz word.


Professional education to younger generations:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been admonishing Tibetans to pursuit  professional education or specialized field long before any one  understood its importance. It has proved from TCV graduates from various Indian colleges and university, that the any students with a strong background in a particular field tends to be most useful and helpful to the soceity and of course more marketable in a  competitive world. The exile Tibetan government finally got it, with the Department of Education enlistings responses from Tibetans on the  issues of prefessional studies and specialization as a first step. I think TCV and other exile schools are also emphasizing on the necessity of students of on such focused education.  Just a bachelor degree from an Indian university is not good enough to  compete with others. Exile Tibetan society is small and jobs are few and far between. The challenge of the Tibetan students is to think beyond the exile soceity, just a dream of becoming a elementory or high school teacher is not sufficient. Even if that is your dream job, then make yourself perfectly fit for it by excelling what you do.

Challenges and obstacles:

Any professional studies, unless in languages, science and maths are essential parts of the whole curriculum. Tibetans students  should lay a strong foundation in science and maths, its importance can not be overemphasized. Even America is lamenting on the standard of science and maths education in their high school. Today's world is  increasingly technological and scientifically oriented. All the best jobs are also abundantly available in these fields. In other words, in America, all the whitecollar jobs are in the sphere of science, math, and technology. Or the need for a strong writing skills, such as the as the compentency of Tibetan writer Jamyang Norbu who is a most vocal and highly respected and successful in his professional writing. In whatever field each works, one should bring out the best in it, and when you achieved this outstanding success, you are known to be a expert on this field and thus gained prominency and authority on the issue.
I think the biggest challenge that the Tibetan students face in their persuit of professional or specialized education is the lack of role models. This is what I was exactly told by my young newphew. The parental encouragement is also crucial for students' self esteem and their yearn to persuit further education.Proper awarness, knowledge and education is also key to spark interest.

 It is understandable all students might not be the same, and nor will their achievements and academic performance in school.  But sometimes outshines and their have a natural talent for a particular thing, this potential should be fully utilized.  Unless you try, you dont know what you can do.

 Tibetan parents should emphasize on the importance of education over anything else. Younger Tibetan students can not afford to wast their precious time by indulging in petty things. For in the west, young Tibetans have a choice of making money by doing backbreaking jobs or go to school and pursuit a degree or specialization, which will be invalueable for a life long career and success.

Good education, which will empower the Tibetans in a powerful way, not only the perfect  for personal gain, but for Tibetan cause. There are around 1600000 Tibetans scattered around the world. The number is not big, but a well educated even a dozen of people can exert  tremendous power and influence.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama have this farsighted vision for the future, and Tibetan children's education was given the first priority when he first arrived in India. Now it is upto the exile government and NGO and particularly, schools, parents and teachers to advise the younger generations on the quality education and the right path and choice they should take. So that they can become  a contributing memeber of the society. The Chushi Gamdrok NGO has recently announced scholarships for college students and this is a step in the right direction.