The main goal of ES-Tibet is to educate Tibetan refugees in India, in order to improve their work perspectives once they are back in Tibet.
Because the Tibetan Exile Government in Dharamsala had already established educational support by setting up the Tibetan Transit School (TTS) in which newly arrived refugees are educated for five years, ES-Tibet seeks to complement this educational establishment. ES-Tibet therefore started a school in India in which carefully selected TTS-students are educated further for two years in English, Computer Skills and Chinese. These three subjects were identified as key elements for professional success once the students are back in Tibet.
Every two years ES-Tibet carefully chooses about 20 new students via an elaborate selection procedure. The students then live and study in the school. ES-Tibet provides them with food, medical cover, accommodation, and even some pocket money every month, as well as meeting travel costs at the end of the course, so that they do not need to worry about such things while studying at the school.
The curriculum of English in ES-Tibet is, to start with everyday English, English grammar and then to move on towards Cambridge English Tests starting with Key English Test (KET), Preliminary English Test (PET), First Certificate in English (FCE) and ACE (Advanced Certificate in English).
Knowing most of the students are going back to Tibet, we also teach the students Chinese, which is essential for them when they get a job back in their native land. We are trying to reach at least a level which enables them to understand and speak everyday Chinese.
The computer program we offer them is as follows; computer fundamentals, Microsoft Office Package 2003 and 2007, Web Design, book publishing, Adobe CS3 complete, player and converter, Internet, Windows Installation, Hardware, Network Troubleshooting and configuration.
With regard to the Cambridge Examinations the last eight years ES-Tibet has brought success to 12 students. Forty six of them passed PET (Preliminary English Test) and six of them passed FCE (First Certificate in English). After finishing two years education at ES-Tibet most of the students want to go back to Tibet. 80% of the 40 students, who have completed their studies at ES-Tibet, have returned to their native country and all of them have found employment there. Three of them are self employed, some are English teachers, some are tourist guides, some are translators in NGOs in Tibet and some are doing Further Education in China.
ES-Tibet is an eight-year-old non-profit-making organisation which has successfully educated 60 Tibetan refugees and which is currently educating a further 22 students in Dharamsala, north Indian. They will finish their studies in the summer of 2009. The school has a good reputation and is the first choice for many Tibetan refugees. This is illustrated by the fact that when ES-Tibet last advertised for the next batch of students to register, there were more than 82 applicants! Unfortunately, as the school is in a rented building, the number of students ES-Tibet can accept is limited to 20. In the future ES-Tibet aims to increase this number and to build a schoolhouse expressly designed for this purpose, which will help Tibetan refugees in exile and those who are going back to Tibet.
Our teachers are native English-speaking volunteers. Obtaining new volunteers is our biggest obstacle at the moment. The school provides all meals and accommodation for volunteers and the school itself is set in a picturesque area by a river and a small forest. It is an ideal opportunity for anyone who would like to live amongst a small Tibetan community, teach in India or simply give something back, so that they have the facility to improve their knowledge.
We are located near the popular tourist town of McLeod Ganj, where the residence in exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is situated. We are constantly seeking native English-speaking volunteers and any help you can offer us in this regard would be greatly appreciated. Please check our website to hear the testimonies of previous and current volunteers.
The school provides all meals and accommodation for volunteers. It is an ideal opportunity for anyone who would like to live amongst a small Tibetan community, teach in India or simply give something back. Any help you can offer us in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
