We offer five levels of english classes, from Elementary to Advanced. Each class runs for a period of three months. Students must complete the 3 month course before they progress to the higher level. A set text book for each of the five English levels from Cambridge is provided for each student. Elementary and Beginner courses last for an hour and a half while the Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, and Advanced courses last for one hour, classes are held each weekday, Monday through Friday. Lha’s English language classes have been running since 1999. Currently, we educate 160-170 English language students per month at Lha.
We ask that Language Teachers at Lha commit to a minimum stay of two months, in order to ensure as much course continuity as possible for our students. Teachers have access to a variety of teaching aids and materials through the Lha Library located in the main office building on Temple Road. Language Teachers at Lha are responsible for taking daily attendance, lesson planning, creating and grading homework and periodic exams for their students, and notifying the Teacher Coordinator in a timely manner should they be unable to attend their scheduled class.
We also offer a daily English conversation class. The conversation classes improve the students’ speaking level and confidence and provide a friendly atmosphere to exchange stories and experience cultural exchange with western volunteers. Students from the upper three levels can attend this class between 4 and 5pm every weekday.
All of our language classes are available to students of all ages from within the Tibetan refugee community and the local Indian community. Most of the English language students are young people and adults from Tibet, often including monks and nuns.
The main reason for the Tibetans’ interest in learning English is that they want to go back to Tibet and they feel it’s important to know English for their future employment opportunities. Some people, especially monks and nuns, also learn it to transmit Tibetan issues, culture, and religion to the world.
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