Bhutan’s Schools Turn Green

From selling trash collected through student cleaning campaigns to aid the schools budgets, to classroom rules being formed between teacher and student, Bhutan’s education system is set to be a trail blazer.

A recent seminar held in Paro entitled: ‘Stories from the Schools and Classrooms’ told of an amazingly forward and ambitious plan in turning schools ‘green’ implemented through ‘Gross National Happiness’ (GNH); a major reform in moving towards a happier, more environmentally conscious learning environment. Involving principals, teachers, lecturers and students, with a vision that aims to create teachers, who understand GNH, and who will then establish a GNH learning environment for Bhutanese children, by 2012.

Schools have introduced various initiatives. For instance, some schools now reserve certain days for causes like being environmentally friendly. There are no vehicle days, no plastic days, and even no junk food days in some schools.

One school in Trashigang, Bartsham primary, took the initiative in taking its environment program even further. The school made Nu 45,000 after selling plastic acquired in cleaning campaigns. The money was then used to replace blackboards with a better alternative.

However, concerns were raised on whether students are being “burdened” with work, such as cleaning campaigns, “in the name of GNH”. A participant said that GNH implementation in schools should not be only about working.

Education minister Thakur S Powdyel said that, while some schools are doing a “wonderful job” at becoming GNH or “green” schools, some schools have “no idea even now what GNH is and what green schools are.” Powdyei added, “I’m very worried about certain things, which are happening in the name of green schools.” He did not expound on his concerns.

“I’m delighted that a lot of schools have taken this very well and, seriously, they’ve gone far beyond, but many schools aren’t changing and we have to make sure every school succeeds, we have to make sure every child succeeds, we have to make sure this country succeeds,” he said.

Encompassed within GNH is a move away from the traditional top down teacher-student model, where schools are creating a more equal status between teachers and students. This is done by giving students more voice, responsibilities in school administration and simply more respect.

For instance, in Ghumauney HSS, Samtse, classroom rules are formed involving students, and class captains are elected by their classmates. In Wangdicholing LSS, Bumthang, “nature club” student members have been empowered to record and report “violations” of its ‘no vehicle day’ by both student and teachers. Again in Ghumauney HSS, teachers present khadars to new pre-primary students, and they also make an effort to eat lunch with their students at least once a week.

A Paro college of education (PCE) lecturer, Kinzing Lhendup, emphasised the importance and effort he put into remembering the names of his students. He said that, not only is it impolite, but by not remembering a name repeatedly, it demonstrated to that particular student that the teacher did not care about the student.

Bhutan’s culture and traditions are also hot on the list with schools introducing more awareness amongst the students by introducing traditional sports like:  archery, khuru, and degor into some games periods. . Driglam namzha and religious clubs are also being formed in certain schools.

However, some of the new ideas have been questioned. Peljorling MSS in Samtse, is looking at introducing a rule that allows students to only speak in either English or Dzongkha in an attempt at promoting the national language.  This was questioned by the dean of PCE, Dorji Thinley, who said that Bhutan also had a number of other languages and dialects. He asked if the rule might not have an adverse impact on these languages, “many of which are on the verge of disappearance.

The school’s principal, Sonam Gyamtsho, pointed out that students would be committed to the rule only within the school.

An idea which many schools in the West could well take note: lessons begin with a moment of absolute silence and meditation. Teachers have noticed that it makes a difference and leaves the students more focused. It is all part of the emphasis of GNH, with lessons on conservation, re-cycling and why one should be more considerate to others.

GNH as a government policy recognises that besides standard education policy: health, culture, living standards, proper use of time, community vitality and good governance are of equal value; and importantly how teachers deal with the children.

A modern education system was introduced into Bhutan in the 1960’s, before that, education was mainly provided by the monasteries.

However, according to Tara Limbu of the Bhutan Times, many are now questioning if there are now ‘one too many schools in rural Bhutan?’

In the 1990’s, listening to the demand from the general public for more schools in rural villages, the government of Bhutan initiated a vigorous building plan – with several schools being built every year.

By mid-2000, many people were starting to question whether too many schools had been built in the villages, as many had only managed to enrol to half capacity, with some lying virtually empty. Urban schools on the other hand were becoming increasingly over-crowded with a teacher-student ratio not ideal.

Many are left wondering if the government’s spending plan in the rural areas were and are justified and if in fact it would have been wiser to have spent on building more schools in the urban areas, to meet a more popular demand.

However, the government then issued the ‘Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’ manifesto with a promise of more schools in rural areas to come; stating that: ‘all efforts will be made to provide educational facilities within convenient walking distances for every rural community to ensure that children stay close to their parents’. This will total another 104 new primary and community schools by 2012, taking the figure to 615.

However, this still leaves a shortage in the urban areas that are fast running out of space for new students with many high school students who did not qualify for admission in government schools rushing to private schools in the capital of Thimphu to seek admission.

With private high schools in the capital grappling with increasing admission pressure, principals of the schools are saying that there are more students seeking admission than seats; with students queuing outside the schools waiting for the selection interview, holding files of academic transcripts and other documents.

The private schools also have a policy of academic excellence, accepting only students with high pass scores in English, maths and Dzongkha, plus a character certificate.

Students who cannot get admission in the private schools in the capital have said that they will apply to private schools in other dzongkhags.

The majority of students seeking admission to the government schools in the capital opt for a science stream; however, there are too few slots available.

The education ministers still argue that that despite so many schools being built in the villages, enrolment is still short of the 100% target. Standing at an 85% enrolment rate, Jambay Wangchuck, the ministries planning officer, has said that: “We still have 15% of school going children, still not being served by school”.

He added that the government had an international commitment to fulfil the millennium and SAARC development goals.

The education minister Lyonpo Thakur S. Powdyei said, that as long as there are children in the community the ministery has a responsibility to educate them.

The declining enrolment may be due to a falling birth rate and the fact that the interior parts of the country have smaller settlements with poorer families. As the school children have to wear school uniform, this can put a strain on some of the family’s finances, making it harder to enrol and retain children from food insecure households in remote areas.

What people in the urban areas are currently asking is when are more schools to be built in the capital and other urban areas?

By Jane Poretsis

Source:  www.raonline.ch   Bhutan Times www.bhutantimes.com  Bhutan Today www.bhutantoday.bt