Improving Education Quality and Learning for Tibetan Children

Results achieved as of March 2016 include: (1) provided teacher training to 631 Tibetan teachers and educators (354 female; 227 male) as well as pre-service training to 63 Tibetan students training to become teachers resulting in a minimum 50% increase in knowledge and skills among in-service training participants in such areas as project-based science education dynamic teaching strategies in the field of math new arts and crafts techniques instruction on traditional Tibetan musical instruments school-based professional development collaborative practices child development and instructional supervision and classroom management for school leaders; (2) all 73 Tibetan schools had increased access to improved teaching and learning materials such as a revised Buddhist science and dialectics textbooks for grades 6-12 and a revised Class 3 science textbook; (3) Tibetan schools have improved facilities including 114 repaired hostel beds a repaired solar heater and water pipes and water storage facility installed. Furthermore the number of vulnerable schools meeting their budgetary needs has increased; (4) the ability of parents to support the schooling of their children has been increased as a result of trainings that increased parental knowledge on the importance of parental involvement in the educational growth and intellectual development of their children the development and dissemination of parent-teacher association guidelines to all Tibetan schools and increased knowledge on how to apply gender concepts to their role as PTA members. These results contributed to increased use of high quality teaching and learning materials and modern methodologies by Tibetan teachers and educators.