Rinchen Pelzang, former agriculture extension officer resigned to take up agriculture entrepreneurship and currently runs a nursery at Punakha. He supplies seeds and seedlings to the farmers of Bhutan. He is the first Bhutanese graduate to complete Development Studies from Daffodil International University, Bangladesh. In this exclusive, he speaks with Sangay Rabten, a reporter of Business Bhutan.
Q1: Why did you choose to go to this particular university?
Daffodil International University (DIU) is known as one of the top private universities in Bangladesh (QS World University rankings, 2021 reports & Times Higher Education Impact Rankings). I chose it as it has a conducive environment with green scenery for study. The teaching faculties are well experienced and highly qualified.
Other reasons for choosing the University is reasonable fee structures for the offered courses besides considerations on a certain percentage of scholarships based on CVs, Bachelor degree’s scores/grades, semester scores, covid-19 concession, and others. I got 45% scholarships offered. I always like studying near my family, home country, relatives, and friends.
Q2: Why did you opt to study these specific subjects in school/university?
In this era of the contemporary world, disciplines/subjects of expertise that fit the demand of the job market are very important to me. Equipped with only technical knowledge and experience only in the field of Agriculture for the last 15 years was not enough for me to deliver my services effectively to TSA-WA-SUM.
In DIU, as per their website information, I found there are many experts in Development Studies under the Faculty of Humanity and Social Sciences.
The subjects DIU offered for this MA course on Development Studies are (1)Sociology and Anthropology of Development (2) Development Theories, Strategies, and Issues, (3)NGOs & Development, (4) Politics, States, and Development, (5)Principles of Economics, (6) Sustainable Development, (7) Governance & Development, (8) Poverty Alleviation & Development, (9) Gender & Development, (10) Project Management (11) Rural Development, (12) Development Policy and Governance, (13) Basic Statistics for Development, (14) Research Methodology, and (15) Dissertation & Viva Voce. I found these subjects very relevant in this modern world and the field of my interest really matches.
Q3: How is your degree relevant to Bhutan’s needs?
I personally experienced a complex scenario to deliver public services from the angle of a different direction. To deliver our services effectively and efficiently, we have to possess all-around knowledge and skill to fit into the system of your choices or concern organization sustainably.
Understanding that a single person may not possess all the required knowledge and experiences, it’s deemed necessary to keep on learning and exploring, so that one may champion all around one day when in need or demand by the situation.
For example, to be a manager in an agency, one should have managerial theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and experiences to face complex situations. Similarly, if you are a policy-maker, you should be possessing past experiences, must possess a history of exploration, and should know in finding the appropriate solution to the issues/problems so that a large group of the population is benefitted from the particular policy or laws in force in the long run.
It is important to focus on research findings to make policies or in amending existing laws or policies, thus affecting the major group of societies or communities.
Q4: How has your time in college prepared you for a career in our industry?
I personally feel that I got the knowledge and capacities that I aspired to.
I believe that learning never ends, life-long learning interests should be inculcated in our minds. As long as we manage time and resources, as such, there won’t be impossibilities in our life.
Q5: How would your teachers describe you?
My Professors describe me as a risk-taker, sincere, punctual, hard-working, courageous, and creative thinker or doer.
Q6: How would you say your qualifications will help you contribute to the nation?
I left civil service after 13 years as an Agriculturist with my Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, and Post Graduate Diploma certificates. I delivered my services smoothly, efficiently, and effectively without any problems and without facing any conflict with the rules of the law of the Kingdom.
Now, I am in the field of private business, Associations, Social Services, NGOs, and Joint Ventures. This added degree has further broadened my capacities, and I believe in myself.
Since the courses that I learned were associated with multi-disciplinary approaches to development, I will be in a position to contribute to our state policies development in the field of economy, rural, urban, human resources, projects, environment, gender equity, and equality, poverty alleviation, and politics and Governance, etc.
Q7: What about acceptance of your degree from Daffodil University in Bhutan?
Since I didn’t study to seek a job with a high profile within Bhutan, I didn’t remember checking the affiliation of our education policy in Bhutan. Rather, I opted to study at DIU because the offered subjects of Development Studies under the Faculty of Humanity and Social Sciences, Department of Development Studies were very relevant to my field of interest and I felt it may fit at par with the demand of the current world. I normally try my best to create jobs for others through my exploration and researching new ideas with times and future expected scenarios. By viewing the rankings within Asian Universities and Bangladesh, I feel DIU graduates deserve acceptance in various institutions, agencies, and organizations.
Q8: Any other views?
Learning is crucial to our life. Just like food nourishes our bodies, information and continued learning nourish our minds. Lifelong learning is an indispensable tool for every career and organization. Continuous learning or lifelong learning can always be ongoing and can happen in any number of ways. Learning or training in school and college or through professional courses, continuous learning is never finished.
It’s important to make sure everyone has regular learning time built into their schedule with the changing time. This is in line with what His Majesty the King once said, “With the continuous span of time and duration, our age-old learned knowledge and skills will usually get obsolete, if we are not exploring, updating and learning new things as per the needs and requirements of the new era.”
Today, continuous learning forms a necessary part of acquiring critical thinking skills and discovering new ways of relating to people from different cultures. To live a life without continuous learning is unthinkable.
