Tibet, where the literacy rate was less than five per cent four decades ago, now has 890 primary schools and 1,568 teaching stations.

Groups of little boys and girls who used to follow visitors asking for money in the corwded Jokhang temple square, Lingkor, the street that pilgrims and tourists frequent in Lhasa, and other public places, have all suddenly vanished. They were there less than two years ago when I visited Lhasa last. Where have they all gone?

To schools, I was told. Schooling is free for seven years. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government provides free books and even food and lodging for children coming from places outside Lhasa.

Four decades ago, hardly a school existed in Tibet and the literacy rate was less than Five per cent. There are now 890 primary schools and 1,568 teaching stations, many of the latter serving isolated farming and shepherd communities. Enrolment in primary schools has reached 327,497. Schools teach the Tibetan language and script, besides Chinese and other subjects.

In a land where all reading and writing was done in monasteries, it was quite a job to prepare new textbooks and compile teaching material. A core group of teachers with extensive experiences was created. It put together basic teaching material in the Tibetan language and script.

Seventy-eight senior high school teachers, trained by Tibet University were sent in August to remote areas for taking classes there. The Tibet Autonomous Region now has 118 high schools.

The total enrolment in junior high schools is 120,706 and in senior high schools 33,342. High schools teach the Tibetan language and literature, Chinese, mathematics, English, and other subjects. The Compilation and Translation Centre of Teaching Matrrials has edited and published 12 volumes of the Tibetan Language and Script course.

All Tibetan language and script teachers in high schools possess bachelor's degrees. A few are postgraduates. There are five colleges and universities in the Tibet Autonomous Region on where teachers receive training. They will not get their degree certificates if they fail in Tibetan language and script proficiency tests.

From The Hindu Times, November 2