Committee to examine Tibetan demand for transfer of admin

Basant Kumar Mohanty

New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) The Central Government will set-up
a committee to examine the demand by the 'Tibetan
Government-in-Exile' seeking transfer of administration to it
to manage the government-run schools for Tibetan refugees.

The government, which has been providing shelter to the
Tibetan refugees, will set-up the committee involving
officials from Human Resource Development (H.R.D.), Ministry
of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs (M.H.A.) to
examine the demand.

The Central Tibetan School Administration (C.T.S.A.),
under H.R.D. Ministry, is running 71 schools for providing
schooling to the children of Tibetan refugees.

The Tibetans are demanding that the administrative power
should be transferred to them while the H.R.D. Ministry should
continue to bear the financial burden as before.

"The Tibetan representatives in C.T.S.A.'s executive
council have been demanding for transfer of the administration
of these schools to one Central Tibetan Administration, which
they describe as an agency looking after education under their
self-style government headed by the Dalia Lama. We will set up
a committee to examine the demand," a senior government
official told P.T.I.

These schools are located across the country where
teaching is provided in Tibetan language at primary level.
These schools, affiliated to Central Board of Secondary
Education (C.B.S.E.), were started under a special scheme in
1964.

"The Tibetans are refugees in our country. Now the issue
is how an established system can be transferred to a refugee
system," he said.

The government bears all the cost towards teachers,
facilities and maintenance of these schools.

"They do not want to contribute any money for running the
schools. They want the money to flow from the government's
coffer as before but the administration should be handed over
to them," the official said.

The H.R.D. Ministry has earmarked Rs six core this year
for all the expenses of these schools which offer residential
facilities at secondary and senior secondary stages. Students
pay nominal fees towards lodging and boarding in these
schools.

The executive council of the C.S.T.A. comprise of about
15 members, including four from 'Tibetan Government-in-exile'.

The executive meeting of the body will be held next month
when the matter is likely to be raised again by the Tibetan
representatives.

"But before that time, we may set up the committee to
look into the demand," he said.

These institutions offer schooling from class one to 12.
The intake capacity in these schools is about 1000 every year
and they are located mostly in North India, Uttaranchal,
Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, West
Bengal and Karnataka.