True report on Education in Zangskar by a local observer (uneditted)

EDUCATION in ZANGSKAR > It is good to say that region Zangskar is little known to the outside world. It was a farmer kingdom which is now union with the republic of India. People of this region come to the category of scheduled tribal. Nearly twenty thousands of people populated the region .most of them are believers of the vajrazana Buddhism of Tibetan style. People speak zangskaree which also very much similar to Tibetan language. This area is land locked and many areas still not reachable by the motor cars. Lunak province is such an area which still not connected with the roads, electricity and other benefits of the development.

I was lucky to stay with the Lunakpas for ten months including a hard winter. I had enough time to observe the education of zangskar and talk to them about their children, teachers and education improvements taking place.

First family I interacted in the area is Lobzang Jinpas family. This family sends their one daughter to Kullu for her higher education. She is Tsenla and she completed her +12.ervery year.

She spends sixty thousand rupees for her higher education in Kullu Maharaja College in Himachal Pradesh of India.

There are two other boys who studies in Reru School, German funded private school. Each student has to pay from fifteen thousand to twenty thousand for an academic year. It´s hard time for Lobzang Jinpa to earn this money. So this family decided not sends one of their daughters to the school. So Stazin Nidol stays in home helping her family in housekeeping, cooking and the agriculture work. Her destiny has been unpaid agricultural labor for the family.

When I was in Padum, the capital town of the region, I was luckily met with the present king of Padum, Galpo Punshok Dawade. He is a retired government teacher too. The term of king is just a social respected; there is no power with him to influence the education or any other government policies. He feel sorry about the education in area. Zangskaree child have to face lot of obstacle to get the higher education. Most of the families defend upon the farming, lively stock and working as horse transporters for tourist. They can’t offered the increasing cost of education. Galpo Dawa mention another practical problem, been a Buddhist children have to learn Bhodhik, then Urdu which is estate language, Hindi too, cause every child of the India read their national language. Then English which is international language been a British colony Indians quite prefer to read in English which is advantage in the job market.

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