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Sikyong felicitates topper student Tenzin Chokyi

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By Phuntsok Yangchen

DHARAMSHALA, May 30: The elected head of Tibetan people, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay today felicitated Tenzin Chokyi, who had topped among Tibetan students with 95.4 per cent in this year’s all-India class XII examinations conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Sikyong Sangay greeted Chokyi in his office at the Kashag Secretariat in Dharamshala and congratulated her with a khatak (Tibetan ceremonial scarf.)

Chokyi has also become the first student to receive the prestigious Sikyong Scholarship, announced last year by the Central Tibetan Administration as an incentive for students to work harder and perform better in their studies. She will be receiving an additional INR 1,00,000 as part of the Scholarship, awarded to students who score more than 95 per cent in the All India Senior School Certificate Examination.

“I am very happy that the Sikyong Scholarship has found its first recipient. I sincerely congratulate Tenzin Chokyi for her accomplishment making all the Tibetans feel very proud,” Sikyong Sangay, who is also the Minister for Education, said in a statement. “Hope she will be the first of the many students to excel in studies and receive the Sikyong Scholarship.”

In her conversation with Sikyong Sangay, Chokyi revealed that she had started studying class XII textbooks during her class XI winter break and followed a dedicated schedule of 18 hours a day of study from five in the morning to eleven in the night.

The student of the Tibetan Homes Foundation School, Mussoorie, gave credit of her success to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, staff and teachers of her school and her parents. In a message to her fellow students, she said, “Nothing is impossible. One should have a willingness to do and think why anything isn’t possible.”

Speaking about the Sikyong Scholarship, Chokyi said that when she and her friends first heard about it, “many thought it was impossible to win.”

“But my father encouraged me and convinced me that I can do it if I study well.”

The Department of Education, in a statement said that this year, 188 students (52%) have scored 70% and above in the Science stream; and 157 students (14%) obtained 75% and above in Arts & Commerce streams. “This is a stunning surge of high scorers from 242 Tibetan students in 2012 to 345 in 2013,” DoE said.

This year, 1,616 Tibetan students, appeared for the All India Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations conducted by CBSE, out of which 1411 students cleared the examinations. This year’s overall pass percentage of Tibetan schools of 87.3 per cent is lower than last year’s aggregate pass percentage of 92.52 per cent.

The DoE also announced the winners of the Gadhen Phodrang Student Merit Award for 2013. Three toppers from each stream will receive cash award of INR 20,000; INR15,000 and INR 10,000 respectively. All the awards will be given during the Tibetan Democracy Day Celebration on September 2 at Dharamshala.

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