Will investing in central schools equip Bhutan’s future with 21st century workforce skills?
Social sectors have always been prioritized in terms of budget allocation and for the 2025-2026 FY too the same is the case, with Nu. 27,993.5 million provisioned for the education sector. However, the deliverables for which budget has been allocated questions if it is in line with prioritizing “Education Transformation and 21st Century Workforce Skilling.”
The major chunk of the budget, Nu.1,479.3 million is allocated for achieving 70 percent completion of ongoing redevelopment of 20 Central Schools, an issue that is still debated. The government’s proposal is to create 63 central schools as part of the 13th Five-Year Plan (FYP). The Opposition Party earlier had urged the government to prioritize classroom digitization over opening more central schools, saying it would support student learning. Concerns were expressed that merging lower and higher grades in central schools could split teachers’ attention, impacting senior students’ performance.
Responding to this, Minister of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Lyonpo Yeezang De Thapa clarified that no new central schools are planned; instead, the focus is on upgrading existing ones to align with Bhutan’s long-term education goals. In the face of the Opposition Party emphasizing the need for digital classrooms, MoESD had said that though digitalization is a priority, it cannot be done at the cost of existing central schools. Central Schools are also a core component of the government’s pledge.
A former official of the then ministry of education said that when the world is changing every day due to innovation and focusing on skilling and re-skilling, so that the youth especially are ready to take on jobs that the 21st century will demand, the budget allocated this year has nothing concrete on 21st century skills development. “I see the Nu. 45 million allocated for the establishment of an international school as the only productive investment for the future,” he said. He underlined that to develop 21st-century skills, an education system must go beyond traditional teaching. It should focus on cultivating critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, digital literacy, and adaptability.
Commenting on the Nu. 623.6 million provisioned for modernizing academic infrastructure, including construction of new campuses, hostels, and state-of-the-art facilities, the former official questioned if new campuses and hostels are required. “There are existing structures that can be used.” He further said that the sum of Nu. 67.3 million earmarked for maximizing digital technology for improved teaching and learning outcomes is “peanuts.” “Build small but quality structures. Spend more on digitalization. Schools in Bhutan still do not have enough computers and policy makers are thinking of building institutions like Dzongs,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, a sum of Nu. 47.5 million has been allocated to complete Phase II of the Recovery School in Kanglung. To equip teachers and education leaders with necessary skills and capacity, Nu. 344.9 million is allocated for providing centralized 40-Hour Professional Development (PD). This allocation also covers the M.Ed programs offered in Paro and Samtse College of Education, aimed at upgrading qualification and improving knowledge contents to align with current global trends and standards. Further, to complete 40 percent of on-going augmentation of existing technical training institutes (TTI-Chumey, TTI-Samthang, TTI-Rangjung, RDTC Zhemgang), Nu. 200 million is allocated while Nu. 222.8 million is provisioned for the enrollment of 3,181 youth job seekers in TTIs.
Tashi Namgyal from Thimphu
