The School Today
The Dhakpo Thosam Ling school is part of the Dagpo Shedrup Ling monastic university and is located on the same grounds. The pupils live and stay at the school for a large part of the year, thus forming part of an integrated learning environment.
Primary education is provided to approximately 90 young monks aged 5 to 14. They are taught by a team of 10 qualified teachers in subjects including mathematics, biology, physics, social studies, English, Hindi and Tibetan.
There are also two carers (amalas) present. Much attention is paid to caring for the environment and sustainability. Sports days are held regularly. A fun tradition is the annual celebration of Happy Teacher’s Day.
HISTORY
The school was founded in 2004 for two main reasons:
- To give the regional population access to education
- To allow children to benefit from an additional programme in Tibetan language and culture, with the underlying idea of giving Tibetan cultural values the opportunity to survive. It would also offer children the opportunity, if desired, to choose further studies in Tibetan language and culture and/or Buddhism.
A location next to the monastery was chosen because the proximity of a monastic community can inspire children. At the same time, young monks could make use of the education, allowing the schoolchildren to come into contact with monastic life in a natural way.
2013
The school was a great success. The number of pupils continued to grow, reaching 140 in 2013. The children’s academic performance was above average. However, ten years after the school was founded it became clear that the school needed to change its form:
- The school was initially set up primarily for the local population, but in the end, few pupils from the immediate vicinity enrolled. Although this was obviously not the intention, it turned out that the local population feared a “conversion drive”. Most pupils came from much more distant regions, mainly from Meun. Since 2010, schools have also been established in that region by monks from Drepung Gomang. The parents of the children who still attended the school in Kaïs in 2013 were mainly looking for economic benefits, as accommodation and food are provided free of charge in addition to education, rather than instruction in the Tibetan language and culture.
- In India, a law had been passed making free education, including books and school uniforms, compulsory for the eight basic classes. These are the same classes that the Dhakpo Thosam Ling school provides. As a result, primary education became accessible to everyone in the immediate vicinity.
- Until 2013, virtually no children chose to continue their studies of the Tibetan language or Buddhism.
The original reasons for founding the school were therefore no longer applicable. It was decided not to continue the school in its current form, but only to provide primary education for the young monks.
The purchased land, which was initially intended for the construction of a larger new school, will now be used for the construction of a study and retreat centre for lay people and monastics.
THE CHALLENGE
School staff salaries
School staff salaries have not been increased for years, leading to dissatisfaction among school staff. In the long term, this will not benefit the proper functioning of the school.
The monastery’s board has made a proposal to adjust salaries based on salaries at other schools in the area.
In response, TDEF has decided to cover the salary costs of all school and care staff for the next three years. Supporting the school can make a big difference and fits perfectly with TDEF’s objectives. If all goes well, TDEF will continue this support. By improving conditions for well-qualified and motivated staff, encouraging them to stay longer, TDEF hopes to contribute to the quality and continuity of education. The school’s survival is essential for Dagpo Dratsang and the preservation of the Tibetan language and culture.
The buildings
The quality of the school buildings (which also house the medical centre) leaves much to be desired. The buildings are in poor condition: they have weak foundations and the building materials used were of poor quality, causing the buildings to deteriorate rapidly. The Kullu Valley is one of the most earthquake-prone areas, but the construction of the buildings here has not been adapted to this.
Furthermore, ventilation is very poor, causing serious damp problems. There is no heating or hot water supply, and the sewage system is primitive. In addition, several basic requirements cannot be met in the current buildings, such as sufficient sleeping space for the schoolchildren, a dining room (the children currently eat sitting on the floor in the corridor), a larger library, an assembly hall, a computer room and a staff room.
There are far-reaching plans to build a new school. TDEF hopes to realise this in collaboration with The WHISE Foundation. See also the website of The WHISE Foundation.