The Dalai Lama has spoken passionately about the need for schools and universities to give a moral education to children as he appeared at Glastonbury Festival for the first time.

Despite the rain, crowds gathered to hear the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader speak on a small platform near the healing fields.

The audience spontaneously burst in to a rendition of "happy birthday" ahead of the 79-year-old's birthday next week.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner said he had seen a young and old enjoying the festival, calling it " a festival of people, not politicians and governments".

Talking about the "man-made" problems across the world, he said: "Existing education systems are often orientated by the material value, external values. This problem is first created here. That's the source of problems.

"There must be awareness of the importance of inner value. I think from kindergarden up to university level it is much better to include some moral education."

He said they should be secular principles, which do not give preference to one religion over another, and can be implemented at all schools.

In a light-hearted moment, when an audience member asked what he would do if he was not the Dalai Lama for the day, he said he would like to be a tractor driver on a farm in his home village.

The Chinese government said it was strongly opposed to any organisation which gives the exiled spiritual leader a platform.

A foreign affairs ministry spokesman expressed fears he could use the visit for the purposes of "conducting anti-China secessionist activities in the name of religion".

But the Dalai Lama earlier dismissed the criticism as a "usual response".