BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Saturday met with Tibetan Buddhists who have received the "Tho Ram Pa" degree, one of the highest academic degrees for Tibetan Buddhism.

You Quan, member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, also head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, urged Tibetan Buddhists to uphold the correct political direction, safeguard the country's reunification, and make contributions to the development of Tibetan Buddhism in the new era.

The Tho Ram Pa, equal to a university doctorate, was launched in 2004 in an effort to improve the study of Tibetan Buddhism and the training of outstanding monks by incorporating elements of modern education.