Tibetan Education

Most Tibetans live as poor nomads or farmers in rural areas where there are few schools.

The level of education is very low, and there is also a shortage of qualified teachers.

The World Bank estimates that only 38% of men and 13% of women can read and write.

In the past the monasteries were responsible for education and every family sent at least one son to there. Nowadays children from the poorest families have little chance of an education. The consequences are fatal: individuals who can't read or do simple maths have no access to modern society.

In the long term, ROKPA considers education to be the most effective aid measures in helping the Tibetan population escape from poverty. Every year ROKPA's educational programmes support more than 10,000 of the poorest children and students - many of them orphans and girls with only one parent.  In addition, ROKPA builds schools, produces classroom materials in the Tibetan language and trains teachers.

 

ROKPA Gannan Girls' School - named best school nationwide!

In 2001 construction began on a very special boarding school.

At the Gannan Girls School in Khenlo (Gansu province), girls - mostly orphans -from the poorest nomadic families are being given an education.

The girls spend a total of six years at the ROKPA School, and in addition to taking lessons in the core subjects, they also have the opportunity of completing a vocational education focusing on computer literacy, sewing or Tibetan crafts. After graduation, those willing and able may continue their education at the nearby public secondary school.

However, ROKPA's support for these girls does not end at this point, and those with especially high grades are eligible to receive financial support for further education from ROKPA.

As a result in the past two years more than 20 young women have been able to take up a profession, securing a livelihood for themselves and their families as well as acquiring a healthy dose of confidence and self-esteem!

There are very few girls' schools in China, and in 2007, the authorities named ROKPA's "Gannan Girls' School" a flagship project. A celebration with song and dance was mounted to commemorate this achievement!