Falling enrolment in Tibetan schools a community challenge
The Tibetan government-in-exile has been highlighting the challenges posed by the Chinese government, which has been attempting to erase Tibetan culture in Tibet by prohibiting enrolment in Buddhist monasteries. However, the Tibetan community in India is facing its own set of challenges, including a decline in the number of students enrolling in Tibetan schools, as well as a decrease in the number of Tibetans becoming monks in monasteries across India.
The Tibetan schools and monasteries, set up in India since the Dalai Lama fled into exile from Tibet in 1959, have played a crucial role in preserving the Tibetan language and culture. These institutions have helped spread the Tibetan culture across the world and in maintaining the Tibetan struggle against China.
The issue of declining student enrolment in Tibetan schools in India was highlighted during a symposium organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on Tibetan education. The Education Minister of the Tibetan government in exile, Tharlam Dolma, expressed concern over the declining student numbers, revealing that the student population in Tibetan schools had dropped from 23,684 in 2012 to 13,035 in 2024 — a decline of more than 10,000 students.
She attributed this decline to three primary factors — the cessation of regular Tibetan arrivals from Tibet since 2008, an increase in Tibetans emigrating to Western countries from Tibetan settlements in India, Nepal and Bhutan, and a declining birth rate within the Tibetan community in exile.
The Tibetan government in exile operates 62 schools across India and Nepal, falling under four different systems — Tibetan Children’s Village, Central School for Tibetans (CST), Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society and The Snow Lion Foundation. These schools focus on preserving Tibetan language and culture in exile. Earlier, children from Tibet and north-eastern states of India would attend these schools, with many foreign agencies providing financial support for their education. However, the number of students in these schools is now on the decline.
Additionally, the president of the Tibetan government in exile, Penpa Tsering, recently raised concerns about the decreasing number of monks joining Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in exile. Speaking to Tibetan exiles in Lingtsang settlement, Dehradun, Tsering highlighted that, according to records from the Department of Religion and Culture of the Tibetan government in exile, the number of monks has been steadily decreasing over the past three years. According to him, most of the current monks come from Himalayan communities.
