Affordable education for nomadic children in Changtang

About 300 children in central Ladakh and 300 nomadic children on the Changtang plateau attend classes from 1st to 8th grade, their age ranges from 6 to 15 years.

The winter months without teaching do not have a good impact on the continuity and quality of studies and its impact. The Central Government in Exile, on behalf of the CRO, asked us to support the Winter Tuition (WT) winter education program. For about 11 years, we have been supporting this program in Changtang, Ladakh for nomadic children in the Pulga and Nyioma areas. This is a community of 50 children. In the past, we built mobile polycarbonate houses for them, which protect from the wind and partly from the cold, and also allow enough light. The climate here in winter is even harsher than in central Ladakh, so we also provide food and hot tea to these children. In winter, the temperature is minus 30 degrees, strong wind and sun. If it snows, the lessons are postponed.

We now want to expand the program to another 300 poor children in central Ladakh. To cover the entire WT project, approximately 45 teachers are needed, who rotate teaching individual subjects between individual classes. However, the children do not have sufficient facilities. Some of them learn in the community halls of individual exile camps and some sit outside in the courtyards.

Through Winter tuition, children are educated in English and Tibetan, mathematics, and cultural activities related to Tibetan traditions during the three-month vacation. They have yoga lessons and in the past we have also supported them with audiovisual technology to improve teaching. Ethical education is also part of the education program for Tibetan children. This is the so-called SEE learning (Social Emotional Education learning). The course takes place only in the morning hours, the children have a free program in the afternoon.

The CRO is the main representative of the exile government in Ladakh, with whom we consult on the project and who is the umbrella for it, says:

“After the final exams and the end of the year, we need to let the children breathe and they can get involved in the preparations for Losar – the Tibetan New Year and one of the most important Tibetan holidays. The preparations take a week, as well as the subsequent celebrations.” This is how the children end the WT program every year.

Wealthier families send their children to private courses, but the poor cannot afford it. And it is precisely to these children that we want to provide a winter education program!

Furthermore, this project wants to help improve the facilities for children, their classrooms are, for example, moldy or poorly insulated. This is for the Sumdho Ladakh school.

270,000 CZK is needed to provide the entire Winter tuition program, which goes mainly to teachers’ salaries.

Each teacher will receive a salary of approximately 5,700 CZK.