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The Evolution Of Education In Bhutan

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EVOLUTION OF BHUTAN’S EDUCATION POLICY Bhutan is a small nation known for its isolationism and its cherished Lamaist traditions. Before the king Jigme Wangchuck introduced modern education system in Bhutan in 1960s Buddhist monastic institutions were the only source of formal education available to the Bhutanese people. History of Modern Education in Bhutan This Himalayan nation was geographically isolated from the rest of the world until 1961 when the third Druk Gyalpo , Jigme Dorji Wangchuck opened the nation to the rest of the world. The British Indian rulers, in the 19th century, were actively pursuing the ‘forward area policy’ in the Himalayan region, in which Bhutan was destined to play an important role because of its strategic location between two giants of Asia i.e. India and China. The then Tongsa Penlop of Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuk was a dependable British ally. The first political officer, Charles A. Bell, encouraged the newly established royal family to maintain the same pattern of as other Indian princely states . Thus, the first efforts were taken to familiarize the Bhutan Durbar (royal court) with Hindi and English. The ruler of Bhutan also realized their linguistic barriers and took efforts to teach Hindi and English in their country. The first Drukpa ruler, Ugyen Wangchuk realized the importance of modern education and started a mobile court school which was used to move around with him around the Kingdom. The medium of instruction of this mobile school
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