Dr Pema Yangchen Sworn in as Kalon of 15th Kashag

DHARAMSHALA: Dr Pema Yangchen was sworn in as Kalon of the 15th Kashag at a swearing-in ceremony held today at the new CTA T-building, Gangchen Kyishong.

Mr Kargyu Dhondup, the Chief Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission administered the oath of office to the new Kalon.

Minutes after the swearing-in ceremony, Kashag announced Dr Pema Yangchen’s portfolio as Kalon of Department of Education, CTA.

Dr Pema Yangchen Ed.D, a doctorate scholar from the University of Northern Iowa, was appointed as a Kalon of the 15th Kashag following nomination by CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay on the floor of the Tibetan Parliament on 21 March. She was approved as a Kalon by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile with a majority vote with 26 for, 15 against and 3 blank votes.

Brief Biography of Dr Pema Yangchen

Dr Pema Yangchen EdD was born on 15 August 1969. An alumnus of the Tibetan scholarship program, she did her primary schooling from Thimpu, Bhutan before joining the Upper Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamshala where she studied from class 6 to 12. She pursued her B.A. (Honors) in English Literature from the University of Delhi, India, and completed her B.Ed. in English from University of Madras, Tamil Nadu, India.

From 1993 – 1995, she was the English Instructor at Tibetan Children’s Village School, Suja, H. P. India. In 1996, she was appointed as the Head of Arts Department at Tibetan Children’s Village School, Suja, H. P. India and served in that capacity till 2001. In 2003, she completed her M.A. in TESOL from the University of Northern Iowa, USA. She pursued her Ed. D. (Doctor of Education) in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Northern Iowa in 2009. In between, she also served intermittently as a research assistant, teaching assistant and ESL instructor at the University of Northern Iowa. From 2009, she served as the English lecturer at The Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education in Bangalore, India.

From 2010- 2012, she was the Head of Department, School of Education & BA Department at The Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education, Bangalore, India and from 2013 – 2016, she served as the Co-Chair, Board of Examinations, Specialized Courses at the same institute. In 2013, she was appointed as the Chairperson: Examination Committee of the institute and in 2012, she was promoted to the post of Vice Principal of The Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education, Bangalore. She served in that post till 2016.

From 2016 -2017, she served as a consultant to the Vice Principal on a voluntary basis. Dr Pema Yangchen is also a recipient of numerous prestigious scholarships and awards including Fulbright Scholarship (USA) from the Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration (2001- 2002).

In 2011, she was honoured with ‘Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award’ by University of Northern Iowa, Graduate College for her Dissertation titled ‘Teacher Learning in a Tibetan School in Exile: A Community of Practice Perspective’.

Dr Pema Yangchen is married to Rebkong Kalsang Dorjee and lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.