Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA)

CTSA Logo

At the request of H.H the Dalai Lama, the Government of India, in 1961, established the Tibetan Schools Society (now called Central Tibetan Schools Administration), an autonomous body regulated by the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development, to manage and assist schools in India for the education of the children of Tibetan refugees.

The Governing Body of the Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA), which is its main administrative authority is chaired by the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, GOI. Its members consist of four Indians (two representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs; one representative of the Ministry of Home Affairs; and the Secretary of CTSA) and four Tibetans   (Education Minister, Education Secretary, the Representative at the Bureau of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, New Delhi; and the Director of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi).

There were 28 CTSA schools whose enrolment was 9,991 students but as of now, after handing over 22 schools to STSS, there are only 6 schools left under CTSA whose enrolment is 1,756 students. Among these Sambhota Tibetan Schools, only STS Mundgod, STS Paonta, Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen and STS Shillong provide hostel and boarding facilities to a total of 694 students and are known as residential schools. And the remaining schools which do not have such facilities are known as day schools and all services in the day schools are provided free of cost. In addition, the CTSA also handed over 33 Pre-Primary schools to STSS.

Handing over of the last remaining 6 schools to STSS

In December 2022, Sikyong Penpa Tsering and Education Kalon Tharlam Dolma Changra paid a courtesy call to the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education at her office chamber at Shastri Bhawan. Ms. L.S. Changsan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education, also serves as the Chairperson of the Central Tibetan Schools Administration.

The meeting was also attended by Representative Ngodup Dongchung, Education Secretary Jigmey Namgyal, along with Joint Director A.S Rawat, T. Pritam Singh, and T.S Rautela from the Ministry. In the meeting, which lasted for an hour-long, Sikyong and Education Kalon raised various issues related to the current state of Tibetan schools in India, particularly the handing over of the last remaining 6 schools to STSS and their administration and management. Now all the 28 schools are administered by STSS.