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Teacher Education in Bhutan

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Teacher Education in the Global Era

Abstract

Two things make Bhutan a fascinating country to study—its unique governmental philosophy known as Gross National Happiness (GNH) and its education system that transited from a monastic system to a modern secular Western-style education starting in the 1950s, making it a relatively recent phenomenon. The introduction of modern education opened a new chapter in the history of learning and scholarship in Bhutan bringing about unprecedented changes in social, cultural, political and economic structures in Bhutan and in particular revolutionized the country’s education system. The national goal of self-reliance necessitated the need to nurture and support teacher training as education is key to development. This chapter explores teacher education in Bhutan. It discusses the history and progress of teacher education in the country, and the challenges and opportunities of internationalization and globalization of the programs in teacher education. It is a qualitative description based on extensive desk review and document analysis supported by interviews with teacher educators.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal University of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan

    Deki C. Gyamtso

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  1. Deki C. Gyamtso
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Correspondence to Deki C. Gyamtso .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Psychology, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India

    Karanam Pushpanadham

Glossary

CoEs

Colleges of Education

Dzongkha

National Language of Bhutan

EdGNH

Educating for GNH

GNH

Gross National Happiness

MoE

Ministry of Education

PCEPCE

Paro College of Education

RUB

Royal University of Bhutan

SCE

Samtse College of Education

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Gyamtso, D.C. (2020). Teacher Education in Bhutan. In: Pushpanadham, K. (eds) Teacher Education in the Global Era. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4008-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4008-0_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4007-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-4008-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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