Kham Aid Foundation Books for Schools Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

December, 1998

Boys reading story-book donated through the Kham Aid Foundation Books for Schools program.

Abstract

The Pforzheimer Foundation bestowed a grant for purchase of Tibetan language books to be donated to rural schools. In the six months since the monies were received, we have selected, purchased, and distributed the books, and made spot checks to confirm their receipt and proper use. The sum donated allowed us to purchase nearly 10,000 Tibetan language volumes; recipient schools numbered roughly one hundred.

Background

The eastern Tibetan plateau has a rich literary history, but political turmoil and poverty have seriously undermined the written word. Presently, Tibetan language is taught to children in public schools, however the schools lack supplementary material in Tibetan for children to read. They also often lack basic reference materials such as dictionaries. Children need books--beyond classroom texts--in order to appreciate the scope of Tibean literature and enjoy the wonders of learning.

Book Selection

The books were all published inside China, by the Nationality Publishing Houses of Sichuan, Gansu, Beijing, and Lhasa. Selection was made by Dr. Baden Nima, who has researched extensively the educational needs of Tibetans. He sought out works suitable for children, covering a variety of subjects (but not treatises on Marxism and similar topics). He found that although many titles have been published in the last few decades, a considerable number of excellent works are now out of print. Nevertheless, from those were available in large quantities, he made a selection of 32 different titles plus four multi-volume sets. There is a lamentable lack of books on science for young people, so he researched available Chinese language books and found Children's Fun Science Collection, a four-volume work that will be translated into Tibetan and printed with leftover funds
.

Contents of one set of books.

Book Delivery

Most of the donated books were given to remote rural primary schools 3-4 days' travel from the urban center of Chengdu. Delivery was accomplished by two dedicated and stalwart young Tibetan scholars, Tsering Tashi and Yeshi Dendrup. They were on the road for three weeks, traveling on rough dirt roads under very primitive conditions. .

Children welcoming KAF team bringing books.

Kham Aid Foundation president Pamela Logan personally delivered one set of books to Gyalten Rinpoche's Private Charitable School. This school is not government-run, it was founded by a Buddhist religious leader who raised funds for its construction and operation. The package of books was greeted with joy by teachers and students alike. A letter from the headmaster is included as an appendix to this report.

Logan also checked in Dege (pop. 60,000), one of the most remote counties served by the program. The Dege County Education Bureau director reported that six primary schools had received books. Additionally, Logan found that one more primary school had received a set without knowledge of the director, for a total of seven schools in the county. Logan visited Chenguan Jisuzhi Primary School, which has 148 students (84 girls, 64 boys). These children all hail from farming or herding districts in the county, and live in dormitories at the school. All but two are Tibetan. Most can expect to continue their education at Dege's single junior middle school.

The headmistress Yangchen Dronkar and teachers at Chenguan Jisuzhi Primary School were delighted with the donation, which they were keeping in a glass cabinet under lock and key. Prior to receiving the Pforzheimer Foundation books, the school had textbooks, and some materials in Chinese, but no supplementary materials in Tibetan. When Logan made her unannounced visit, some of the donated books were missing from the cabinet because they were in use by students and teachers.

Future work

This program has been welcomed by educators, students, and parents. If more funds can be made available, it would be desirable to expand it to other areas. We have reached less than ten per cent of the 1273 schools from primary to college level in Ganzi Prefecture. Moreover, there are thousands more schools serving Tibetan children in other prefectures and provinces. The books already donated will wear out with time and use. Thus, there is almost limitless scope for continuing this worthy program.

At the moment, however, we have exhausted supplies of Tibetan language books for children in China. If we want to buy more books, we will need to stimulate publishing houses to produce them. We feel that the most effective way to do this is to provide publication subsidies to authors with finished manuscripts. Details on this proposed program can be supplied on request.

Ancient Tibetan writings are in dire need of research, preservation, and dissemination. Kham Aid Foundation is working with scholar Genqiu Dengzi of the Ganzi Library Administrative Bureau to discover, document, and protect one-of-a-kind handwritten works scattered at remote locations over the eastern Tibetan plateau. Many of these works were penned by important philosophers and are thought to contain material of immense interest to scholars. This program is currently starved for funds, needed for equipment and travel by the project team. More information is available to interested parties.

Conclusions

The Books for Schools program has been successfully executed, with the results that thousands of formerly book-starved children now have access to literature in their own language. There is still a great need for more books--at other schools, and to replace volumes worn out with use. Before more books can be bought, Tibetan authors and publishing houses need funds to produce them. Also, funds are needed for research and conservation of rare volumes.

Book List

Number of copies bought are given in parentheses after each title. In many cases we bought out the publishers entire stock. Some titles were sold out in the month between our first inquiries and release of funds to the Chengdu office. This list reflects actual purchases.

Encyclopedia of Questions and Answers for Tibetan Children (32)
New Tibetan Dictionary (650)
Recollected Folktales (300)
Six Brothers (300)
Tibetan Culture and Principles of Education (500)
Tibetan-Chinese Dictionary (50)
Introduction to Poetry (300)
Tibetan Handwriting Copybook (350)
Biography of Longchen Peinam (150)
Mipham's Medical Works (111)
Elementary Introduction to the Future of Tibetology (150)
Vocabulary of Tibetan Abbreviation (111)
How to Read a Tibetan Calendar (215)
Selected Words of Muge Samten (40)
Collection of Letters (150)
Sanskrit-Tibetan Dictionary (25)
Introduction to Five Treatises of Buddhism (100)
The Stories behind Tibetan Sayings (100 copies, 10 volumes each)
World Famous Fairy Tales (100 copies, 8 volumes each)
Collection of Amdo Folktales (300)
Drimei Kundon (300)
Carpenter Kungong (300)
King Guliang's Marriage by Capture (300)
Questions on Tibetan History (300)
Vocabulary of Tibetan Homonyms (260)
Collection of Dondrup's Works (120)
Teaching Materials of Master Samanivara (150)
Tibetan Medical Knowledge (215)
Answers to some Questions on Prehistory (85)
Essentials of Tibetan History (150 copies, 2 volumes each)
Questions and Answers on Tibetan Grammar (215)
Biography of Konggyup Yongten Gyatso (150)
Common Knowledge of Tibetan Literary History (150)
ABCs of Tibetan Handwriting (200)
Explanation of Difficulties in the Mirror of Rhetoric (150)
On the Well-talented and the Slow-witted (100 copies, 10 volumes each)