HUNGKAR DORJE REGIONAL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TECHNICAL SCHOOL

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

QGF has been officially granted a permit to operate a multi-disciplinary technical school on 18 acres of donated land.

Located in a pastoral setting of grassy hinterland, surrounded by mountain vistas, the site is conveniently located to maximize contacts with the large population of ethnic nomads. It forms a natural connection with the nomadic farmers. Officially named “The Hungkar Dorje Technical School” in honor of its founder, its mission is to further the cultural heritage of indigenous ethnic groups and promote learning and mastery of modern technical skills. Our aim is to promote healthy economic and cultural growth in Tibetan society and to build a private educational facility complete with up to date teaching equipment and capabilities, in accordance with the “Educational Law of the People’s Republic of China.” Our goal is to preserve and protect traditions and culture which would otherwise be lost.




Activities In America:
CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

The Mayul School (also called the Hungkar Dorje Multi-Disciplinary Technical School) is a new vocational school for Tibetans in Gande County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China. The school is located in one of the poorest regions of one of China’s least developed provinces.  Historically, Golog was part of the Amdo region of Tibet, and 90% of the population of this region is Tibetan. Building of the school began in April 2008 and it is nearly complete. The facilities, which include dorms, a cafeteria, classrooms, library, and an administration building, will eventually serve 600 students.  Approximately 200 students, boys and girls ages 10-21, studied at the school in the fall semester 2009, and more are expected to enter in spring 2010.

The Tibetan population of China is historically underserved in terms of education. Rates of high school graduation remain in the single digits (2% according to one 2002 report) and the public education that is available demands Mandarin Chinese as the language of instruction, meaning that many educated Tibetans are unable to read their own language.  Recent Chinese government policy directed toward the Tibetan nomadic population in Qinghai and elsewhere has made the need for educational training more acute. To preserve the fragile rangeland, which is undergoing rapid desertification due to decades of failed agricultural policy, the Chinese government is forcing the settlement of Tibetan nomadic populations.  This has meant the loss of the nomads’ traditional livelihoods of raising herd animals and threatens the destruction of their culture.

The Mayul School aims to sustain Tibetan culture and provide vocational training for the local nomadic population within and beyond Qinghai. The students study math, Tibetan language and literature, Chinese language, and English.  There are plans to develop training programs in computer use as well as traditional Tibetan arts including thangka painting, weaving, and Tibetan medicine.   

With a Nagwang Choephel Fellowship, faculty and graduate students from the Center for East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas (KU) are assisting the Mayul School in developing a curriculum in the arts as vocational training, particularly by supporting instruction in thangka painting.  They traveled to the school for a month in the summer of 2009, where they taught English daily and met with Mayul School faculty regularly to discuss pedagogy and long range planning.  The same group plans to return to Golog in the summer of 2010.  In fall semester 2010, five students from the Mayul School will study at KU’s Applied English Center.  After their studies are complete, they will return to Golog to become instructors at the Mayul School.  More information about the University of Kansas’s involvement can be found on the project website: http://mayulschool.wordpress.com

Eric C. Rath, University of Kansas


PHOTO GALLERY OF SCHOOLS PROJECTS

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THANK YOU! Without our help most of these young adults would go without an education and would face a life of little or no opportunities to advance vocationally. For those that aspire to go on to a higher education – there would be little hope. Your Donations Will Help Build:
  • A 10-classroom Vocational High School with 15 teachers
  • Dorm rooms for 600 girls and boys ages 14 to 21
  • Office, library, kitchen, cafeteria, medical services clinic, and space for physical activities
  • Textbooks and computers for teaching
  • Teacher Salaries
  • Costs to house, feed, and care for students


A REPORT FROM THE FIELD

My name is Duc Luong. From August to September of 2009, I took a trip to Golog to visit Thubten Chokor Ling. It was during this period that I spent a fair amount of time preparing computers and laptops for deployment to the Hungkar Dorje Technical School. The idea was to bring up-to-date computing technology to this remote part of Tibet so that students could learn new skills and develop a greater appreciation and understanding of our modern world. As the information age pushes forward, I feel it is important not to leave the Tibetans behind in the dust.

It was during this time that I taught a select group of university candidates, which consisted of monks, yogis and lay people, some basic English and western culture and etiquette. I figured if they had pre-exposure to American culture, that it would make life simpler once they do go abroad to study in The States. (Less culture shock and confusion is always a good thing, in my opinion.) Apart from the lessons we had on spelling, grammar, pronounciation and the like, the students also listened to English music and watched American films and tv shows and were always required to write reports and summaries about them afterward. Equal emphasis was placed on reading, wrting, comprehension and verbal communication. Written and oral examinations were fairly common. Despite having such a heavy work load, and especially given the time constraints, I felt we all achieved more than what we set out to do originally. In this regard, I am more than satisfied at what the students accomplished during my time there.

Concurrently, I also took part in beginning a documentary type multimedia project that would, on a yearly basis, record and document the impact and changes affecting the people, culture and local communities surrounding Longen Monastery due to the inception of the vocational school. This was especially interesting because we had the unique opportunity of starting the project right around the time when the school just opened up and began. Because the Tibetans in this area of Golog have never had such an institution and are now taking this big a step forward in terms of education, it will be quite intriguing to see the long term results of this study.

During those two months that I spent in that part of Golog, I really got to know the students and learned a lot about their way of life and culture. I met many of their friends and families and felt like I was always welcome there. Needless to say, this has marked a very enjoyable and memorable milestone in my life, one which I will not soon forget.

Many thanks go to the Long Hoa Buddhist Temple, the Project for Ethics and Art in Testimony, the Blue Valley Foundation, the Blazing Wisdom Institute and the many other individuals and organizations that helped and contributed to the successful completion of this endeavor. Without you guys, these projects would not have been possible. I hope to be able to continue doing this kind of work in the future and to always make a difference for the people of Tibet. ~ Duc


2009 PROGRESS REPORT: PROVIDING SKILLS, INCREASING SELF RELIANCE

While construction continues and is expected to be completed by next summer, the first group of 100 students comprised of young men and women coming from all over Tibet have begun classes in Tibetan, Chinese language and wood carving.  With an awareness of gender equality our first students are comprised of a nomadic, poor, and often parentless group of 14 to 21 year olds who have had little or no opportunity for education prior to our school's opening. They are now enthusiastically enjoying their first opportunity to receive a practical education, which will help prepare them, their families and communities for economic self reliance.

Courses are limited during the building process, and there are only 5 teachers out of an eventual 30 instructors. Our aim is to be at the full capacity of 600 students who have completed 9 years of compulsory education, and any youths without formal education but who have an earnest desire to study, and to train them systematically. This is expected sometime after next summer’s construction comes to an end.

The Hungkar Dorje School will keep costs down to about $80.00 per month for each student in the 3 year program. This includes all costs for boarding, food, health care, educational materials, and teacher’s salaries. 

Funds for the school’s operations will come from private donations, a modest tuition, and the sale of handicrafts by artisans affiliated with the school.  For families who cannot share in the cost of education there will be no fee. Additionally, much of these costs will be augmented by the ongoing sale of medicinal and culinary herbs as well as by other businesses which are planned for development.



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