Trainee nuns attending the first session of the educational program visited the Olympic Park in Beijing, April 27, 2012. [Photo by Zhang Ping/ Women of China]

An national educational program for female Tibetan Buddhist practitioners has expanded application pool to 184 nunneries in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and the other four Tibetan-inhabited areas in China.

The program is an annual event organized by All-China Women's Federation, the biggest NGO dedicated to women issues in China, to provide a comprehensive training to Buddhist nuns from China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Yunnan and Gansu Provinces, and to invite them to visit inland cities for further communication.

The program of year 2012 contains three sessions, recruiting 55 delegate nuns from, most of who are deputies of the chosen 34 nunneries. The first training session of this year was held in late April.

The first session provided courses interpreting religious policy, religion-related rule and regulations, and included a tour to High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China, the supreme education institution of Tibetan Buddhism in China.

The trainee nuns visited a list of renowned cultural sites in Beijing, such as the Lingguang temple that houses the Buddha’s tooth relic, Yonghegong Lama Temple, the former residence of Soong Ching Ling, the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and the Palace Museum. A thorough charge-free medical examination was offered to trainees afterwards.

The All-China Women's Federation has scheduled the educational program as one of the key tasks in 2012, and the training sessions are co-executed by the national federation and branches in related provinces and regions.