A Report on Our Achievements from October 2017 to December 2019
The priority step we took soon after establishing our organization was launching the Out-of-School and Adult Learning Program. It was a much-needed program for many underprivileged young children and students studying at various schools and colleges throughout Tawang. This program involves imparting quality education in computer application and English language to those students who lack opportunities to otherwise study these programs due to financial constraints or unavailability of facilities.
The Honourable Chief Minister of our state, Pema Khandu, and other members of the state assembly inaugurated our courses on 26th October 2017, after which hundreds of students registered for courses taught under this program. People from all walks of life, such as government employees, policemen, housewives, students, and laborers, and even many housemaids who have never had the opportunity to study in a formal school have proudly joined our courses.
The courses were taught after school hours in the evening, weekends and during holidays.
Computer literacy:
Our founder Tengyur Rinpoche believes that no one should be deprived of a proper opportunity for education due to their poverty, ethnic background, or religion. As the world moves forward with increased technological advancements, we felt that computer education is a necessary subject for children. It was heart-breaking to see that hundreds of students who studied with us have not used a computer or touched a keyboard in their life. We build a computer lab with twelve systems, a giant monitor on the wall, and a white board to impart computer education from basic to high level in a proper way where each student gets equal opportunities.
We started the “6 months’ Diploma Course” in computer education, which was a much-needed course where one learns from basic computer usage to preparing presentations and designing projects in a short span of time. It became an extremely popular course and between over 423 students have enrolled and completed the course in 2017-2019. Apart from students, many other people from different walks of life also join our courses to gain expertise in the field of computer education.
English language:
As it is considered a universal language, we believe that English should be taught professionally as a second language in our town. Though we have not been able to start a more substantial English course yet, we have invited native English speakers to teach English at our classes. Ms. Jenny Berger from the USA, who is an English teacher by profession, and Ms. Rebika Laishram, who is based at Delhi, have also taught English at our facility, which was welcomed by all our students. Over 50 students took those short-term English courses which we aim to continue to near future. Read more here.
Bhoti (Tibetan) language:
Bhoti (Tibetan) language forms the heart of our rich culture and tradition and its preservation has never been felt more urgent. His Holiness the great 14th Dalai Lama has also urged the Himalayan people sharing same culture and tradition as Tibet to study Buddhism and Bhoti language. Bhoti (Tibetan) language is one of the richest living language in this world and it is the only language in which the whole 300 volumes of Buddha Shakyamuni and the great Indian panditas’ discourses are found. It is studied as an academic language in many countries and in many prestigious universities all around the world.
Many of the local dialects, spoken throughout various parts of the Himalayan region from Ladhak to Tawang, originated from Bhoti. The current modern education system which our young generation follows in schools, however, is majorly based on a culture and language which is far from our own tradition. Therefore, to compensate that lack, Bhoti has been taught as an optional language in many of our schools for the last many years.
At our centre we prioritized that the study of both our written and spoken language be available to wider audience, while adopting special techniques suited to them.
Today, hundreds of young children, their parents, and people from all walks of life who studied Bhoti with us find pride in being able to read, write and converse in their own mother tongue. Over 161 people studied Bhoti with us until now, and there are still many more taking classes.
Studying Bhoti (Tibetan) script and language is very vital to the preservation of our rich culture and tradition. We consider this a small service from our organization toward the preservation and flourishing of our culture and language in the long run.
Facilities:
Since our actual building is still under construction, we are operating from a rented building which is in the heart of the town. From the two floors that we have rented, the basement floor is renovated to house four classrooms and the first floor for staff residence and office.
Classroom 1: A full-fledged computer lab with 12 systems, a giant monitor where each student gets access to system.
Classroom 2: A small classroom for English class and other seasonal courses such as music, dance, and so on.
Classroom 3: A full-fledged language classroom to teach Bhoti that can accommodate up to 20 students.
Classroom 4: Buddhism Hall that can accommodate up to 30 members at a time where all our Buddhism course, meditation and puja happen.
Our classrooms are fitted with special heating insulation and air conditioning units to protect against long winter months and make them all-weather friendly. They also have audio-visual systems to allow various teaching methodologies. Due to poor electricity, battery back-up and diesel generators have been purchased for conducting uninterrupted classes at all times.
Faculty:
Our human resource team had a tough time in selecting our faculty members through long interviews over phone and email. Finally, we are happy to welcome a very professional, experienced, and dedicated team to teach our programs. Our support staff and managers went all out to work toward achieving our goals. A six-member faculty, including office staff, operate the centre on daily basis.
Expenses towards 3 years Free Course:
All our courses are free, and that is for the benefit of all underprivileged children and others who could not afford fees. The only condition we demand is their complete dedication and promises to work for others when they grow up. Our foundation bears all the expenses, including renovation, rents, salaries, and other recurring bills.
Our foundation incurred an amount of Rupees 10,664,200 (USD 152,345) toward various expenses in last three years. We thanked our dear supporters and well-wishers for their constant support, without which none of these beneficial projects could happen.
| Renovation of classroom, office, staff residence, and purchase of office and classroom equipment | ₹ 4,500,000 | $ 64,285 |
| Salary for six members of staff | ₹ 3,312,000 | $ 47,314 |
| Rent | ₹ 720,000 | $ 10,285 |
| Maintenance cost including staff meals | ₹ 907,200 | $ 12,960 |
| Book distribution and printing costs | ₹ 1,225,000 | $ 17,500 |
| Total | ₹ 10,664,200 | $ 152,345 |
Benefits:
In 2017-2019 over six hundred people joined our programs and studied various courses with us. Our programs have benefited them in many ways, especially young students who do not otherwise have access to such courses. We have recreated the hope in everyone that it is never too late to study and practice. We consider these wonderful achievements a small service toward preservation of our rich culture and language.