Preface to Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in Exile

This Preface was written for Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in Exile, the foundational education policy directive, a visionary new guidance and direction for the exile education policy, unanimously approved by the Tibetan parliament in exile, in September 2004.

PREFACE

• His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche

1. The Title

As the times change so too does the meaning of terms. This is of course testimony to the fact that speech and conceptual thought do not represent their objects literally. Ever since writing and grammar developed in Tibet, the word śiksā in Sanskrit has been translated as bslab pa in Tibetan. When the term bslab pa is used as noun it is read without a pause between the two syllables. But when it is used as verb it is read with a pause between the two syllables. Apart from the difference in the way it is read out loud, there is no difference in the way the two words are spelt. This is a distinctive feature of the Tibetan language, of which the words bzaḥ ba, bzhon pa and so forth are further examples. Having translated śiksā as bslab pa (education), śiksārthi as slob ma (student), śiksita as bslab Idan (educated), śiksānta as slob pa mthaḥ (completion of education) and aśéksa as mi slob pa (no-more learning), we see that the dhātu (element) sla in these forms has acquired an established form of spelling with respect to tense, subject and object. From the element sla a number of terms such as slob dpon (mentor), slob gra wa (student), slob gnyer (study), slob tshan (subject), slob deb (textbook) and so forth can be formed.

In 1959, when Tibetans first arrived in exile, a variety of terms evolved that were translations from English into Tibetan, such as shes rig for education. Since then, the term bslab pa has been replaced by shes rig and through popular usage has become well established. Previously, the term shes rig in the Tibetan language referred to mind or awareness. To say that someone possesses “a brilliant shes rig” is a common and widely accepted expression. It would therefore conform to tradition to refer to education policy in Tibetan as bslab pa-ḥi srid byus. However, fearing that modernists would regard this as too classical, we have used shes yon srid byus in place of shes rig srid byus while framing the Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in Exile. While the pros and cons of the two terms—shes rig and shes yon—are debatable, they simply refer to what is termed “śiksā” in Sanskrit and “education” in English. Dharmakirti has said: “Words follow the intention of speaker.” Accordingly, I hope that through a combination of the writer’s intention and the power of the words, readers will be able to grasp the intended meaning.

2. Past History

Great advances were made in the Tibetan script and language during the seventh century. Since then, for over 1300 years, Tibet was virtually unknown in accounts of the peoples of this world. During that period Tibet rose to become one of the greatest incomparable centers for the development and flourishing of the fields of knowledge in general and Inner Knowledge in particular. Great accomplishments were made in the fields of literature and translation, and innumerable peerless masters were produced. If we look at the number and quality of Tibetan scholars and literary works, it would seem that there existed a system of education widely available for all Tibetan citizens. Yet, in reality there were no schools, nor was education provided for young people by the government or any other organization. Governmental policy and plans to provide popular education were unknown even in name. Nevertheless, the monastic institutions that consisted of monks, nuns and lay religious practitioners, as well as learned individuals from the lay and monastic communities, openly provided opportunity of education. Thus not a single interested person remained deprived of opportunity for education. In consonance with the sequence of learning in Buddhism as said by Vasubandhu—“Learning and reflecting, while abiding by ethics,/ Lead to meditation//”—a flawless system of learning existed within Tibetan society.

However, as was well said by Thonmi, ‘Anu’s son’:

Just as sentient beings of this world, who despite
The aggregates, constituents and sense-bases
And the existence of varied philosophical tenets,
Fail to realise these by themselves,
…

we cannot find any treatise or document that clearly indicates that there was a Tibetan policy or system of education. Tibet, the Land Surrounded By Snowy Mountains, remained completely untouched by modern systems of education and modern subjects of study, which had spread widely from Europe to most countries both east and west over recent centuries, until the middle of the twentieth century. There are different views of the advantages and disadvantages of those circumstances, but this is not the place to discuss them.

3. The Transition Period

The great upheaval of 1959 led to about one hundred thousand Tibetans, including both the sovereign leader and the common people, seeking political asylum in neighbouring countries. Under the wise guidance and leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama several residential and day schools were established to impart standard modern and traditional education to young Tibetans. Under the circumstances at that time there was no alternative but to model an education system on the structure that existed in our host country. However, we were able to include the Tibetan language and a variety of traditional subjects within that curriculum. In addition, new textbooks were compiled and teacher-training programmes were organized according to a modern educational framework. Many other activities were also carried out. Given the restrictions of time and place, we have achieved tremendous success.

As the Tibetan schools in exile have gradually become firmly established, the need to work out a sound system of education that would be suitable for the temporary and long-term goals and needs of the Tibetan people has become ever more pressing. Just as some streams leave their old path and tend to stick with their new course, we became accustomed to the system that we had adopted from elsewhere in our initial emergency situation. We either failed to see the need to review the system or failed to act after seeing that need. We have passed some decades in that state.

As a result of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s repeated advice, based on His Holiness’ long-term vision, the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) schools have ventured to take a very significant step in switching to the Tibetan language as the medium of instruction from class I to V. Yet, due to several external and internal obstacles we still remain in the hapless condition of having to employ a foreign language as the medium for teaching class VI and above. The freedom of Tibetan language has almost been lost—through Chinese repression in Tibet and through our personal free-will in exile. In addition to this a new problem, unknown in the history of the Tibetan people, which we refer to as ‘unemployed youth’, has been created by the system of education we have pursued so far. The solution to this problem cannot be found in modern education. Up to the present, over ten thousand students have graduated from our secondary schools, but hardly any of them were able to achieve outstanding levels of scholarship and prestige either in modern education or in traditional learning. Seeing the prevailing standard of cultural awareness, thought and conduct, many people associated with the education of Tibetans realized that the present system of education is incapable of fulfilling the ultimate desire of the Tibetan people: achieving the final goal of the Tibetan cause and developing the kind of genuine freedom of thought that is indispensable for the work of protecting the tradition and identity of Tibet. Keeping this fact in mind, when the eleventh Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies enacted The Charter of the Tibetan People in Exile in 1991, the following was stated under the Directive Principles:

Towards enhancing the imparting of education, an ideal education policy
meeting the real basic needs of Tibet shall be formulated.

However, due first of all to there being little comprehension of what an ideal alternative policy might be and more particularly due to the rigidly-held view of that the very aim of education is nothing more than finding employment as a means of earning a livelihood, there seems to have been great fear and suspicion that the slightest change in the present system would seriously harm students’ opportunities for pursuing a university education and consequently of finding a job. Because of such doubts and fears no one dared to consider the matter for some time. In 1997, an Education Policy Drafting Committee was set up and a draft document called ‘The Education Policy of the Tibetans in Exile’ was prepared in August 2001. That document turned out to be simply a revised version of the existing system and lacked any reformist outlook.

4. The Present

On the occasion of the Fourth General Conference on Education held 2nd – 4th January 2003 in Dharamsala, I presented the Kashag’s thoughts on education policy. After a brisk session of discussion and questions following my presentation, participants unanimously offered their support. The foundation of my presentation was that Inner Science upheld by our spiritual traditions, while the advice given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on different occasions over the past four decades on universal principles in general and on the matter of Tibetan education in particular was its central theme. Valuable elements were also drawn from the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Aurobindo Ghosh, Jiddu Krishnamurti and others. These views were also supplemented with the findings of certain ongoing experimental movements being conducted by groups of young people, who, after reaching the summit of the modern education pursued in the United States of America and other western countries had experienced a total disillusionment and found faults with that system. I thus presented a concrete outline of a system of education that in future could definitely become a way to establish a non-violent society in Tibet and that indicated the basic requirements of a policy that would meet the ultimate needs of the Tibetan people.

Having received support for that outline, an Education Policy Drafting Committee was appointed in 2003 consisting of Ven. Karma Gelek Yuthok, Education Secretary, Central Tibetan Administration of H.H. the Dalai Lama (CTA) as Chairman and Dr. B. Tsering Yeshi, former TCV teacher, Mr. Ngawang Dorjee, Director, Educational Development &  Research Centre, TCV, Ven. Lobsang Rinchen, Lecturer, Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, and Mr. Chung Tsering, Research Officer, Department of Education, CTA as members. After the Committee had submitted its first draft, the Kashag gave it thorough consideration and produced a second draft. The second draft was widely distributed among all Tibetan educational institutions and scholars in exile seeking their comments and suggestions. It was also posted on the Internet so the public could access it. The Department of Education compiled all the suggestions that were received and submitted then to the concerned authorities.

In order to consolidate professional advice on the second draft and the suggestions that had been receied abovut it from different quarters, a seminar of Indian scholars distinguished in the fields of traditional and modern education was held in January 2004 and a similar seminar of Tibetan scholars and administrative personnel was organized in February 2004. Extensive, in-depth discussions were held on these occasions. A compilation of all the important suggestions was again made. After reviewing the Third Draft prepared by the Drafting Committee the Kashag convened an international seminar of modern academicians in June 2004, which was inaugurated and addressed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After making certain changes according to suggestions made at the above seminar, the Kashag decided upon a final version of the Education Policy and submitted it to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In September 2004, the document was tabled at the 8th Session of the 13th Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies for its approval. The Assembly first held general discussions, then broke up into committees to review the document in detail. The reports of these committees were heard and as a result certain changes were made after they had been discussed and voted on. Finally, the document was unanimously approved. Framing this important policy document marks a significant milestone in the modern history of Tibetan education.

In general, policy documents like this related to executive functions, unlike other pieces of legislation, do not need detailed parliamentary review and approval. They may be placed before the parliament simply to keep its members informed or to seek their endorsement and direction. I was surprised and saddened when certain participants among the gathering of learned scholars were said to have issued a warning that unless a body like the parliament put a stop to this policy, the future prospects of Tibetan education would be seriously damaged. It might be reasonable for someone who was unable to participate in the discussion to say such a thing, but when some of those invited to participate, instead of openly sharing their views and the reasons for them, use covert means to incite others, questions of ethical propriety may be raised. I felt that what Abu Hralpo said was true:

The Buddha has said that speech is like an echo but now
Is the [time of] the echo of echoes—a speech that does not
Accord with the intended meaning is the echo of speech;
Distance yourselves from this echo of false speech.

Despite my limited experience of treating a challenge as an opportunity, on this occasion the challenge did turn out well, when the parliament gave its approval to the policy after making a few minor changes to subsidiary matters, without affecting any of its basic features and principles. My trust in the system of democracy was restored.

5. Ultimate Hope

Regardless of whether a policy or system is good or bad, whether or not it can be implemented in a given society and whether or not it will fare well, depends on several external and inner causes and conditions. Adopting a posture of indifference, neither thinking nor speaking, even when Tibetans possess a noble path that ensures their wellbeing for all times, is not regarded as a noble characteristic. This is why I have made this inappropriate outburst. Although I may not see positive results during my lifetime, I am content to be partially relieved of the guilt of having shirked my responsibility to history.

If the open-minded intellectuals not overly influenced by modern ideology investigate this document thoroughly and reasonably, neither partially nor superficially, I am confident that they will come to believe in it. In short, whether or not it attracts praise from those who have no ideology of their own, but merely follow fads, I am happy that, not daring to forsake my own principles, I have been of some service to my tradition and my community.

6. Acknowledgement of Kindness

Due to the grace and kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is like a great father and king of the Buddhadharma, I had the opportunity to examine traditional and modern systems of education. His Holiness kindly gave valuable advice about the draft education policy more than once during the various stages of the consultative conferences. It will not be possible for me repay His Holiness’s great kindness until I attain the state of enlightenment.

I am also grateful to everyone involved in preparing the draft of this document at different stages and those who have suggested valuable improvements to it. I am particularly indebted to all the eminent Indian thinkers and scholars who have long contributed to the gradual development of my thoughts.

7. Conclusion

I am hopeful that among the learned and common people alike, even those who do not support this document at present will be able to relax their frowns, if they study and examine it under the principle of the Four Reliances.* With prayers that goodness may flourish throughout the universe: Jaya Jagat

* The Four Reliances:

1. Rely on the teaching, not on the person;
2. Rely on the meaning, not on the words;
3. Rely on the definitive meaning, not on the provisional;
4. Rely on your wisdom mind, not on your ordinary mind.

(The policy directive document Basic Education Policy for Tibetans in Exile can be downloaded in PDF file from the Education Department’s website: www.sherig.org)