Tise Himalayan International School (THIS) in Siliguri / India

Many children in remote mountain areas have no or only basic possibilities to access formal education.

To enable a good standard of education we are planning the construction of an International Himalayan School in Siliguri. Suitable property outside Siliguri, near the Indian-Nepalese border, has been already provided for.

The main catchment areas for the primary and secondary modern school with a boarding school will be the Himalayan region:

• India (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh)
• Bhutan, Nepal (Dolpo, Mustang, Humla, Baglung, Kathmandu and neighbouring districts)

The school will be available to all children, regardless of race, sex, religion, caste, political or social background. Especially orphans and children from poor families will be supported by grants. The main curriculum will be in accordance with the standard of the DoE (Department of Education of the Central Tibetan Administration) and the CTSA (Central Tibetan Schools Association).

The children will be further educated in the literature, religion, culture and history of the Himalaya residents, Tibetans and Bonpos.
The intent and task of the International Himalayan School in Siliguri is to provide a modern traditional and spiritual education for the children of the Himalayan region.

Your donation can make the building of this school possible.

Tise Himalayan International School (THIS) Siliguri, West Bengal, India

The doors are open!

The first children with culturally Tibetan background, aged 6 to 12 from the Nepalese region Dolpo have now arrived at the boarding school in Siliguri, West Bengal / India and thus in their new life. They will spend the next 8 to 12 years there. For the moment it is planned to accommodate and educate about 80 children. In the next few years, the school will be expanded so that about 400 children can live there. Before the children are brought from Dolpo to Siliguri, they stop in Kathmandu for a few days. There, they have a medical examination as well as they visit S. E. Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche and get his blessing. Then they move on to Siliguri. Meanwhile, almost 70 students have arrived there. The pedagogical and didactic practice and methods at Tise Himalayan International School (THIS) are very modern. The pedagogical director, Lama Norbu, is a very experienced man who successfully had been the director of the boarding school in Lubra / Mustang for 14 years. So far, the THIS has been officially recognised by the government for primary and lower secondary education up to the 10th grade, so that an intermediate school-leaving certificate is possible to achieve. The school goes far beyond the usual Indian literacy programs. It is planned to establish secondary level II. However, Sec. II can only be applied for in five years, as the Indian educational law requires a successful runtime of the school of five years in order to allow an application. Yet, the Education Office has already indicated that the approval can be expected if these first five years go well.

The school's curriculum is based on the standards of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) of West Bengal. In addition to the formal syllabus, contents dealing with art, culture, history and the tradition of the Himalayan region are included and thus contribute to the formation of a socio-cultural identity. Furthermore, environmental issues, globalisation, modern economies and politics are important issues to deal with. Educational Advisor is the former director of the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala, Mr. Tsewang Mingyur.

Since the school year in the region of Siliguri begins at the end of April, the present time is meant for settling in. At the moment, the children are taught English and Tibetan, wherefore they are divided into groups and taught according to their level of knowledge. In this way, a child can be at level 3 in Tibetan, but in English at level 1 or vice versa. Apart from that, the children have a lot of time for playing and get to know their new home and surroundings.

Ways to help

The first children are here and another big step has been made, but it is not the last one. There will be further construction work of the school, as later up to 400 children should be taken in – but most important now are the kids who are already there. S. E. Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche and the children are happy about every donation, no matter what amount. Donations will further be needed for the equipment and the run the school as well as for the salaries of staff such as teachers, cooks, housekeeping and educators at the “Tise Himalayan International School”. For one child’s livelihood 31 € per month are needed. It is possible to sponsor a girl or a boy and give her/him the opportunity to attend school. The German Yungdrung Bön Foundation forwards 100% of all donations. The Foundation does not pay any salaries nor reimburse expenses or travel expenses. All employees here in Germany work on a voluntary basis.

Bank account for donations: Yungdrung Bön-Stiftung Deutsche Ärzte- und Apothekerbank
IBAN: DE27 3006 0601 0005 1270 92
BIC: DAAEDEDD Reference: THIS/ Siliguri