Language impacts on us all. It helps us express our feelings, desires and queries to the world. A human being’s ability to communicate through written and spoken language is what makes mankind unique. It is both practical and educational to learn a new language, especially when one relocates to another country.

In the 1990s, hundreds of Tibetan refugees came to India. Most of the adults had not had the opportunity to study and learn a new language. We felt that not just Tibetans, but also the entire community, needed a place to learn English. Thus, in 1999, Lha started free language classes for Tibetan refugees, local Indians and people from other parts of the Himalayan regions.

The English language class was one of our earliest projects. The number of Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people coming to attend our English language classes has increased dramatically over the years and in 2004, we moved to a bigger classroom and improved our classroom resources. From 2004 to 2007, we were able to arrange four diverse levels of English classes and one English conversation class.

With the increasing number of Tibetans in exile moving to European countries in 2005, we started facilitating one French class. As more people started attending our French class, we extended the classes into three different levels in 2008.

In 2010, we made another addition to our list of language classes – three different levels of Chinese classes. Our English classes see the majority of students – Elementary and Beginner classes have 35 to 40 students and Intermediate and Advanced English classes have 15 to 20 students. For French and Chinese classes, each class has 15 to 25 students daily. In the last two years Lha has also added Tibetan and German languages classes, for which we have nearly 15 students and 10 students respectively. During the Tibetan schools’ winter holiday, we host intensive Tibetan language classes for as many as 50 students. Our intensive Tibetan language course was attended by 20 to 35 students from June to August 2017.

Since the inception of language classes at Lha, 12,458 students have registered for the different language classes. Monthly, we have 150 students regularly attending our classes. We charge a minimum fee of INR 300 [$5] for annual registration. This fee enables students to attend any language class for that year.

At present, we offer classes operating in five different languages, including five levels of English, three levels of Chinese and French, and the basic level of German and Tibetan. The thirteen different language classes operate each day. All our experienced and qualified teachers are volunteers who usually commit to a minimum of two months or more. Many students who started learning English with the alphabet can now have an extended conversation in English.

Each level is offered as a three-month course. To move onto the next level, the students must pass a final exam. Therefore, the beginner level classes start again every three months for new students entering the program. For the English classes, our curriculum is well-planned and researched. Teachers have wide access to a variety of teaching aids and materials in the Lha Library, which is located in the main office building on Temple Road. Language teachers are responsible for preparing lesson plans, creating and grading homework and giving periodic exams.

In addition to the language courses, depending on volunteer ability, we also arrange one-to-one tutoring. Even after they leave India, many of our volunteers keep in touch with their students through social media and continue to help them in the language studies. We also offer a daily English conversation class, as part of their English language course requirement. This is the most popular class, with about 50 students attending each day. The conversation classes invite drop-in volunteers who can speak English well to help the students gain confidence with their English-speaking skills. It provides a friendly atmosphere in which stories can be exchanged and cultures shared
Most of our language students are adults from Tibet, including monks and nuns. For our Tibetan students, the main motivation for learning another language is to provide tools to help them manage their new environment. The additional language also gives them greater job opportunities. Some people, especially monks and nuns, learn it to raise awareness of Tibetan issues, culture, Buddhist translations and religion in the wider world.

The language classes have helped many students to be able to communicate in their daily lives, share their stories and some even apply to college for further studies. Notably, it has become increasingly difficult for monks and nuns to interact in society without knowing English. Our language classes are even more beneficial to those who are planning to go abroad. Knowing the language makes it much easier for them to start a new life in the new country. Learning the Chinese language has also become important for the many Tibetans who want to or plan to return to Tibet because it gives them better job opportunities.

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