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Education in Bhutan pp 109–124Cite as

International Influence and Support for Educational Development in Bhutan

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Part of the book series: Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects ((EDAP,volume 36))

Abstract

In 1913, the first ‘Western model’ school was established in the Haa District of Western Bhutan and a mobile school in Bumthang two years later. By 1959, the Royal Government planned to make school education available to the general population. However, the general population had reservations about the ‘Western model’ of education. The main goal of education was to improve the well-being of the people and to meet the need for a trained workforce for the new ‘modernized’ economic development programmes. The Royal Government was faced with the problem of unavailable consumables for schools, a shortage of teachers, and a lack of funds to build schools and to pay the teachers. As these challenges were being addressed with the goodwill, support, and cooperation of the United Nations, national governments, non-government organisations, and individuals, there arose more problems endemic to a growing system. With the help of a number of supporters, Bhutan has been able to make remarkable progress in education, as well as in other sectors. The last four decades of the twentieth century have been a stage of hardships and progress for the people of Bhutan, but under the astute leadership of the Kings, Bhutan is now almost self-sufficient in human resource needs. This chapter will explain how the Bhutanese education system developed through the assistance of the international community.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Dasho Kunzang Tangbi was a student of the mobile court school in Bumthang in the 1940s.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge Nancy Strickland for her initial review and valuable comments that had helped improve the chapter. The following persons also contributed valuable information to this chapter:

Dasho Kunzang Tangbi, former Chairman of the Royal Advisory Council, who was a student of the mobile court school in Bumthang in the 1940s and later became a compounder.

Dasho Nado Rinchen, Privy Councillor at the Privy Council, Thimphu, Interview with the author on 21 May, 2015.

Dasho Pema Thinley, former Secretary at the Ministry of Education and later Vice Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan. Interviewed on June 8, 2015.

Karma Dyenka, Programme Officer for Education, Save the Children International, Thimphu Bhutan. Interviewed on June 7, 2015.

Director and library staffs at Paro College of Education, Royal University of Bhutan for allowing me to access their archives during my research on necessary information on the topic.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Council of Bhutan (Retired), Thimphu, Bhutan

    Jagar Dorji

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  1. Jagar Dorji
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Correspondence to Jagar Dorji .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Matthew J. Schuelka

  2. School of Education, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

    T.W. Maxwell

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Dorji, J. (2016). International Influence and Support for Educational Development in Bhutan. In: Schuelka, M., Maxwell, T. (eds) Education in Bhutan. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 36. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1649-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1649-3_7

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-1649-3

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