Dharamsala, Mar 4 (IANS): The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has temporarily shut all its schools as a precaution owing to threat of coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.

Tibetan Children's Village schools President Thupten Dorjee said the schools were closed as a precautionary measure against the prevailing public health crisis, a post on the CTA's official website said.

The decision was taken keeping in mind that the TCV schools are residential schools hosting over 8,000 students, which will adversely affect the schools' capacity to contain a crisis of this nature in the event of an outbreak at any one of the TCV schools.

CTA's Education Minister Pema Yangchen was quoted as saying that students below Class 8 are affected by this announcement while those from classes 9 to 12 will attend classes as usual in preparation for the board exams.

She said older students are easier to handle and more responsible for themselves.

Namgyal Yemphel, Director of the Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society, and Karma Chungdak, General Secretary of the Tibetan Homes Foundation Mussoorie, said the day-schools would remain open.

The Tibetan administration in exile runs 71 institutions across the country.

These schools were set up after the first Tibetan refugees came to India in 1959. The schools are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The Tibetan administration-in-exile is based in Dharamsala town.