Institute of International EducationDepartment of Education

Bhutan: The Land of the Thunder Dragon in Pursuit of Lasting Happiness

An Educational Sector Analysis

Assignment for the course

Educational Planning

Simeon Vasilev

December 2014

The essential goal of ESD is to acquire as much knowledge as possible of a country’s education system, with all its components (from pre-school to higher education, including both formal and non-formal adult education). A sound diagnosis of the education sector includes an interpretation of the prevailing trends and an attempt to identify the major problems and constraints affecting educational development.

To start understanding the specific strengths and aspirations of the nation that populates the small Himalayan enclave that is squeezed between the numerous nations of both China, including the autonomous region of Tibet, (to the north) and India (to the west, south and east), one must first take a glimpse into the constructive cultural traits that the Bhutanese still largely exhibit to this day. They strongly reinforce the approach taken on the path of economic development that they have just recently embarked upon. There is hardly any easy way to get acquainted with the spirit of any nation, but in this case, the Buddhist allegory of the Four Harmonious Friends that every single person in Bhutan knows by heart will serve us well in that purpose:

“Once upon a time, there was a strange bird from a distant land that had been flying for days with a seed in its beak. After such a long journey, it dropped the seed, too exhausted to eat it. A hare dug out a hole for the seed and a monkey planted it. An elephant then stood over the young seedling, watering it and protecting it from the midday sun. Over time, the tiny shoot grew into a might tree. A tree of life, with plenty of fruit that nourished everyone.” (National Geographic's The Living Edens: Episode 6 – Bhutan)

This longing for harmony, understanding and solidary action of the Bhutanese has received its modern manifestation in the form of the national yardstick for development – the Gross National Happiness.

‘(it)...resides in the belief that the key to happiness is to be found, once basicmaterial needs have been met, in the satisfaction of non-material needs andin emotional and spiritual growth (Bhutan 2020, 1999: 46)

The country adopted this alternative vision of development that has so far helped it to navigate the treacherous waters of globalization and outperform in many ways other small states. (White, 2007; ). This human development perspective was defined by his majesty, the 4th Dragon King - Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the late 1980s as ‘gross national happiness”, a new paradigm whose main policy is to balance between economic development and the nation's emotional and spiritual well-being. The specific details of this approach are reevaluated regularly, in the form of five-year plans, which are firmly set upon 4 pillars: Sustainable and Equitable Socio-Economic Development, Conservation of the Environment, Preservation and Promotion of Culture and Good

Governance. (“The Permanent Mission of Bhutan - Pillars of GNH.”) Each policy that the government adopts must pass a scrutiny check in the form of a GNH impact assessment before being implemented, similar to the way other countries have environmental impact assessments for development projects.

In connection with the purpose of raising GNH, Bhutan has made significant progress in shaping a comprehensive public education system that is unique and not solely based upon adopting out-of-context pre-packaged international education policies.

This paper is going to analyze the strong and weak sides of the educational sector of Bhutan, try to identify certain trends and provide recommendations on the direction that must be followed and the steps that must be taken to ensure that the time that the population of Bhutan spends educating themselves will equip them well for the challenges that lay ahead.

In this effort, there are several limitations. It was predominantly based on digitally undertaken research – most of the impressions of the educational system have been garnered by accessing resources over the internet – government policy papers from different agencies, five-year plans, statistical information and scholarly research. A few academic books on the topic of education and UNESCO's literature on the subject of educational sector analysis have been consulted to provide the framework for analysis (sources-Unesco + Main readings). It is naive to believe that one can get a thorough understanding with this largely intellectual exercise undertaken from a significant distance, but the effort has been made to gather a wide range of resources that complement each other and can provide a comprehensive understanding, considering the limitations of this approach.

Context:

Bhutan is a state in South Asia that encompasses the pristine environment lodged on the hilltops of the southern side of the Great Himalaya range. Coelho, an Indian government official from the Ministry of the Exterior provides us with a list of the States that border Bhutan:

“(it)...is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the west by Sikkim and the Chumbi Valley of Tibet and on the east and south by the Indian States of Assam and West Bengal” (Coelho, 1967)

Owing to its particular topography, Bhutan has long been isolated from the outside world, only stirred to action by occasional invasions from Tibet or border-land disputes with the British government of India. (Source?) It's area is estimated at 47,

000sq km (18, 147 sq mi) and represents one of the most outstanding and picturesque spots on the earth. (Singh, 1972). The territory can be broadly categorized into 3 distinct zones. The Himalayan foothills (the Lower Himalaya), north of the Duars plains would fall into the First Zone. The Inner Himalaya (The Higher Himalaya) is considered the Second Zone. It is the central region of the country huddled between the foothills to the south and the

population

natural environment

history

local cultures

languages

social well-being (including poverty)

economy and economic environment

Economic development with its associated ‘modernisation’ alters the context and environment for the youth (unemployment, media, migration)

political setting

It also points out the related main challenges for education which result  from these context features

“..kind of education that must lead ultimately tithe provision of a broad knowledge base across a wide range of subjects and interests, spanning culture, science, literature, music and the other forms of art along with the wisdom to use the knowledge for the benefit of self and the community.” - Ministry of Education, National Education Policy 2011

The educational structure of Bhutan can be separated into three main branches – formal general education, monastic education and non formal education. Even though the most ancient one is the monastic one, the formal education system boasts the largest enrollment rates, while the non-formal education system was introduced only in 1992 (General Statistics, 2004, PPD, MOE, RGoB)

Coelho, V.H., Sikkim and Bhutan, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (1967)

Singh, Nagendra. Bhutan – A Kingdom in The Himalays: A study of the Land, its People and their Government. Thomson Press (India) Limited: New Delhi 1972

White, Adrian G. 2007. A Global Projection of Subjective Well-Being: A Challenge to Positive Psychology’’. http://www.le.ac.uk/pc/aw57/world/sample.html