Group of young school children in uniforms red sleeves cuffs closeup at assembly in school playground 91960_Bhutan-Wangdue
Western-style education was introduced to Bhutan during the reign of Ugyen Wangchuck (1907-26). Until the 1950s, the only formal education available to Bhutanese students was through Buddhist monasteries. In the 1950s, several private secular schools were established without government support, and several others were established in major district towns with government backing. By the late 1950s, there were twenty-nine government and thirty private primary schools, but only about 2,500 children were enrolled. Eventually, the private schools were taken under government supervision to raise the quality of education provided. The most significant modern developments in education came during the period of the First Development Plan (1961-66), when 108 schools were operating and 15,000 students were enrolled. The First Five Year Plan provided for a central education authority and an organized, modern school system with free and universal primary education. Since that time, following one year of preschool begun at age four, children attended school in the primary grades. Education continued with the equivalent of grades six through eight at the junior high level and grades nine through eleven at the high school level. The core curriculum set by the National Board of Secondary Education included English, mathematics, and Dzongkha. English is used as the language of instruction throughout the junior high and high school system, Dzongkha, and, in southern Bhutan until 1989, Nepali, were compulsory subjects. Students also studied English literature, social studies, history, geography, general science, biology, chemistry, physics, and religion. Most Bhutanese history is based on oral traditions rather than on written histories or administrative records. A project sponsored by UNESCO and the University of London developed a ten-module curriculum, which included four courses on Bhutanese history and culture and six courses on Indian and world history and political ideas.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Wangdue Primary school, Bhutan Asia
Photo credit: © Daniel Valla FRPS / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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