Tibet
Charter of the Tibetans-In-Exile
CHAPTER - III
DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF THE TIBETAN ADMINISTRATION
Achievement of the Common Goal and the Social Welfare of the Tibetans-in-Exile - Article 15.
The primary aim of the Tibetan Administration-in-Exile shall be to endeavor to maintain a just policy for the achievement of the common goal of Tibet, and in addition, at the present moment, to protect Tibetans in Tibet from present hardships and danger; and shall formulate a policy to secure just and equal opportunities for the economic development of Tibetans-in-Exile. Furthermore, it shall endeavour to provide reasonable opportunities to all Tibetan youth for the procurement of a modern education and the derivation of the ancient cultural heritage of Tibet; and in particular, shall also strive to provide adequate health services for sound mental and physical development. For the implementation of the above objectives, the following tasks may be undertaken.
Social Welfare - Article 16.
(1) The Tibetan Administration-in-Exile shall endeavor to secure appropriate means of providing sources of livelihood, happiness and mental and physical well-being for the Tibetan people. Those policies shall include the promotion of equal opportunity and adequate means of livelihood, equal pay for equal work, either within the Tibetan Administration or any other institutions under its jurisdiction, and equal taxation in accordance with the amount of income.
(2) The Tibetan Administration shall provide economic assistance and guidance to those who are infirm, physically handicapped, or economically disadvantaged, or to those Tibetan families with large numbers of children who are unable to adequately raise and educate their children. Reasonable efforts shall be made by the Tibetan Administration to prevent economic exploitation by others, and to educate and assist those exploited by others.
(3) In particular, the Tibetan Administration shall modernize agricultural techniques and develop appropriate cottage and home industries to prevent Tibetan settlements and communities from disintegration. It shall operate public and private undertakings, such as co-operatives, trade and business enterprises and communities, in accordance with the regulations laid down by the Tibetan Assembly.
Education and Culture - Article 17.
(1) The Tibetan Administration shall abide by the UN's declarations of the rights of the children and shall provide all Tibetan children in exile, who have reached school age, the opportunity for primary education.
(2) A standard education policy shall be formulated in accordance with the fundamental requirements of Tibetans and the endeavor to promote education.
(3) It shall endeavor to establish and maintain day schools in the respective Tibetan establishments and shall provide hostel facilities wherever deemed necessary.
(4) It shall endeavor to admit Tibetan children from various scattered Tibetan communities, where there are no educational institutions, to the nearest Tibetan schools.
(5) It shall give career guidance to Tibetan children by providing expertise in educational counseling.
(6) It shall encourage those who are economically able to provide their own financial support for the continuation of their children's education.
(7) It shall endeavor to provide special programs and opportunities for technical, professional, and general higher education on the basis of scholarship and merit; and scholarships shall be made available to those unable to pay for such an education.
(8) It shall endeavor to improve the residential and non-residential government and private primary, middle and high schools, and it shall endeavor to gradually introduce the Tibetan language as the medium of instruction in all of its schools, with special emphasis placed on moral education rooted in the Buddhist teachings.
(9) It shall endeavor to raise public respect for teachers of all grades, and recruit those with meritorious academic records.
(10) It shall endeavor to improve the purity and efficiency of academic and monastic communities of monks, nuns, and tantric practitioners, and shall encourage them to maintain proper behavior.
(11) It shall endeavor to disseminate a non-sectarian and wholesome tradition of Buddhist doctrines.
(12) It shall endeavor to provide facilities for monks and nuns to provide appropriate educational and health services for the benefit of the society.
(13) It shall endeavor to preserve and promote ancient Tibetan culture in general, and in particular those aspects of Tibetan arts and sciences which are on the verge of extinction, such as the performing arts, metal crafts and other traditional handicrafts. It shall also recognize, honor and reward professional master-craftspeople.
(14) It shall endeavor to provide guidance in fields of modern education of special importance, such as contemporary science, and support research in the fields of science, art and technology.
(15) It shall support and promote cultural, religious, monastic and academic institutions.
(16) It shall promote games and athletic sports.
Health - Article 18.
(1) The Tibetan Administration shall endeavor to promote adequate health, medical and sanitation services, and provide free medical treatment for the needy. It shall conduct special medical care programs for immunization and chronic illnesses and educate people on environmental issues.
(2) In particular, it shall endeavor to promote the Tibetan pharmacy and the practice of ancient astro-medical sciences, and conduct comparative research in the field of Tibetan and modern astro-medical sciences.
(3) The manufacture and prescription of Tibetan pharmaceutical medicines shall be authorized, regulated and standardized in accordance with the law.
Charter of the Tibetans-In-Exile