A group of 11 Tibetan Buddhists received diplomas Monday in northwest China's Qinghai Province after passing eight days of dissertations on classics of Tibetan Buddhism.

The students, who are attending a one-year degree education program launched by China Advanced Institute of Tibetan Buddhism at Ta'er Monastery in Qinghai, sat through a series of oral tests between Sept. 5 and 12.

Ta'er Monastery is one of the largest monasteries of the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is said to be the birthplace of Zongkaba (1357-1419), the founder of the Yellow Sect.

Their good performances during the tests have earned them the opportunity to take further dissertations at the institute's headquarters in Beijing in October, at the end of which they will be conferred the highest degree in Tibetan Buddhism.

The students are all monks from Tibetan communities in China's Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan.

"The program has broadened my horizon and provided a platform for exchanges between monks from different communities," said Gyaincain Goinbo, a monk at Ta'er Temple.

Li Guoqing, vice president of China Advanced Institute of Tibetan Buddhism, said the degree education program is an important step to further education of Tibetan Buddhists and promote religious culture in Tibetan communities.

The institute was founded in September 1, 1987 in Beijing.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2005)