Education has been highly valued in Bhutan. Before formal secular schools, Buddhist monasteries provided education. After the 19050s, twenty-nine government and thirty private formal secular schools had been established; however, less than 3,000 students were enrolled nationwide. In the 1960s, the Bhutanese government created policies to encourage children to attend school and incentivize schools to provide higher quality education through government subsidies. Currently, there are over 150,000 students enrolled and over 5,000 staff and faculty members in the national education work force. Despite the Bhutanese government’s best efforts, student retention from primary school to secondary school drops significantly due to the isolated-nature of indigenous villages and quality secondary education. Wealthier families have the opportunity to send their children to national private schools and international secondary schools. Currently, most post-secondary education candidates leave Bhutan and pursue their education in India, the United States, and Europe. (Education System in Bhutan 2012, A Study on Enrollment & Retention Strategies in Bhutan)
The Role of English
Currently, English is the official language in the classroom. Dzongkha is the official national language, but it is more historical and reflects the heritage of Bhutan. English is functional for the classroom, as Dzongkha does not have a consistent written form. The students are taught in English for all their subjects. In the video, “classroom teaching rinchen kuenphen primary school, thimphu bhutan” the students appear to be learning about trees. The information on the board is written in English, with “Shoot” and “Root” clearly labeled. The teacher explains everything in English. Then, she instructs the students to engage in group work together. The chatter in the classroom sounds like Bhutanese English, which shows that the students actively use their English dialect. Behind the teacher, a motivational poster is clearly written in English: “Read in order to live.”
(Source: classroom teaching rinchen kuephen primary school, thimphu bhutan)