Redressing the education system

26 June 2009

Last week: A student of Zilukha LSS in Thimphu takes her mid-term exams in the openfor

Over several years now, we have read in newspapers about redressing our education system. The core of our expressions were in form of complaints, criticism and more so the blame-games. As a positive onlooker, I have always admired those writers because they are all concerned about the future of Bhutan’s education system.

I have not been able to do much directly but am trying to pour that little drop in the ocean. The seeds of my philosophies were sown back in 1986-1990, during my college days at Sherubtse. I was fortunate to study under a refined teacher on that campus of the “Peak of Learning”. My batch had been taught to ask ourselves, what we can do for the country rather than what the country can do for us. It gives me immense joy to see most of my batch mates realising those philosophies.

Now, it is even more sacred when we have the very teacher (Hon’ble Lyonpo Thakur S. Powdyel) steering the destiny of our youth, as the minister of our Education Ministry. The time is ripe for all the citizens to help our ministry in question towards renewing the education system.

The need to bring reforms at the apex body is timely because we are now dealing with the New Age generation. My generation lived and is blessed by what our fourth Druk Gyalpo and His team had prepared for us. We were fortunate, aren’t we? Many of us got the best of our education and some had the opportunities to do their masters’ degrees in some of the world’s best universities. It is payback time and our generation must work hard to create the best for the next generation. I once heard that a Native American clan called the Iroquois Indians thought about seven generations before making a decision. For us, we are just talking about one generation ahead and it should not be a problem.

Most of our educationists graduated from universities of developed countries. Yet the new approach should not be about westernising our system. It is also not about preparing our children academically proficient. It should be all about preparing them for “Life”. Many good schools around the world have this motto, “Non scholae, sed vitae discimus”. Closer to our region, this is the motto of Mount Hermon School, Darjeeling. This motto means, “Not for school but for life, we learn”.

I am sure we could find a system whereby we could let our children learn for life. Let us talk about a prototype generation. It might take a minimum of 17 years. New curriculum can be developed. Time does not matter. All we need is a generation that will “Think Bhutanese and Be Bhutanese”. For such a New Age generation, we need the overall wisdom and implementation from the decision makers. It could be worth a try to coin the GNH subjects in all levels of our schools. The GNH subject for the kindergartens could be just an identification of a smiling face that could advance as one reaches college level. Why I recommend GNH subject as core syllabus is because it guarantees a Bhutanese system rather than aping any other.

How great it would be if the next generation is equipped with the philosophy of a pluralist society; with all knowledge about good governance; being hardcore preservationist of one’s cultural and ecological heritages; being lovers of freedom of expression in the rightful manner; being the movers and shakers of a vibrant economy and, above all, a generation that will always leave a legacy for the next.

T. Sangay Wangchuk

Author of Seeing with the Third Eye

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