By Tendar Tsering

DHARAMSHALA September 21: Australian National University at Canberra city will start a Tibetan language course by January 2012, according to the Voice of Tibet radio.

Canberra University is one of the biggest universities in Australia.

"For a long time, people in Australia have been longing to have the course to be part of the university syllabus, and with the initiation of its professor John Howard, it was decided to add the Tibetan course," the VoT quoted Tenzin Ringpa, a Tibetan professor at the university, as saying.

Tenzin Ringpa and his fellow professor Ruth Gamble will teach the course at the university.

Tenzin said by adding Tibetan course into the university syllabus, it will not only help preserve the Tibetan language but also internationalize the language.

According to the university website, the university students and cross-institutional students can enroll it in as an elective.

"It can also be studied through the Center for Continuing Education [CCE]. Students may also wish to enroll in a Masters or Diploma of Asia-Pacific Studies in order to enroll in the course," reads the site.

Written and spoken Tibetan language is widely used in the predominantly Buddhist regions in the Himalayas across India, Nepal and Bhutan.