The modern
education in Bhutan has made what I am today. I have been yearning for the
opportunity to pen down my feelings on the impact that modern education had on
me. On this occasion, I must say that I couldn’t find a more apt opportunity to
do it than now when the modern education system in our country is marking its
hundredth year of existence. The observance of the Sherig Century by the
Ministry of Education of which I have fortunately become a part has allowed me
the chance to retrace my own educational journey.
In the decades
after the 1960s when mass modern education first started, there has been tremendous
emphasis on education in Bhutan. It was in early 1990s that the effect of this
emphasis on education trickled down to my village and we were endowed with a
small school. Considering all the basic facilities missing in our village among
which were health and RNR extension offices, the Royal Government had wisely
chosen the provision of a school as a priority. Establishment of the school was
not the priority then for many people. Other development like roads and bridges
which bear tangible result in short periods of time have always taken more
priority than the more long term projects like education. But this was not the
case in my village. When the government
established the school, there was overwhelming response from our people even
though it took almost two decades to see the impact of education. During that
time, we were literally lifted from the farm. Now, our village can see many
young folks like me who are educated and contribute in big and small ways in
their own rights. We were by and large, the first generation to get modern
education from our village.
We started our
schooling from the hut that was constructed with labour contributions from our
parents. The government on the other hand provided us with minimum basic
facilities that were enough to keep the process of teaching and learning alive.
While, our government was not in the position to provide us with fabulous
curriculum and lavish resources, but it was nevertheless successful in engaging
us by providing motivated and enthusiastic educators who were able to make up
for the deficiencies in all the other spheres. It is very true that education
can take place even under the tree if we have motivated learners and educators.
Today, I can
clearly remember the moment when a couple from Kerala, India came to our school
to teach. To many of us, they were first Indian nationals we had ever seen. Language
then was the strongest barrier. I vividly remember how they instructed us to
cut grasses. Very often, sign language was the means of communication between
us. My teacher used to carry a sickle and literally demonstrated to let us cut
grasses, for we were not able to understand English then, certainly not the
English that they spoke. We used to speak in Dzongkha to them when we had to
talk to them even though we knew they don’t understand. It was also our first
to get a lady teacher. When she first came to our class, we said in habitual
unison, ‘Good Morning Sir’. By then we thought all the teachers teaching
subject other than Dzongkha were called Sir. The only exception to the ‘Sir’
rule was ‘Lopon’ applied to our Dzongkha language teacher. We took a couple of
months to get used to the idea of referring to our lady teacher as ‘Madam’. Our
journey began from there with our two Indian teachers who brought keys to
unlocking our infantile minds which was then duly filled with treasure troves
of wisdom by other teachers later.
While the goal
of education is pretty broad, for me it has taught me to become a productive
member of the society. At a more mundane level, it has given me the chance to
live a more comfortable life than my parents. Education in many other countries
is an expensive market product. However, in Bhutan we are fortunate to have
free education which people from all walks of life can avail. My humble
standing in the civil service today is a testimony to the far-reaching effect
of free education in our society. If I had to pay for my education, I am sure
that I will still have been toiling in my village today.
Being a
beneficiary of our generous education system, I am today happy to be able to
work for this system. Looking back, I am proud of the choice I have made in my
life, helped in large measures by the wisdoms that I have been able to land. It
is now my chance to give back what I have received. It is my singular fortune
to be in a position to help our education system grow from strength to strength
and help change more young people like me.
