Transforming Bhutanese communities through art

Transforming Bhutanese communities through art

A Japan International Cooperation Agency initiative

An inspiring project titled, “Project to Enhance the Ability to teach Art and Vitalize Local Communities through Art in the kingdom of Bhutan,” has successfully brought together educators, community members, and art enthusiasts as part of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Partnership Program (JPP). The one activity under these auspices is art exhibition, `organized by the Department of School Education, Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) and JICA Bhutan Office.

Around 660 students across the country had participated in the national art competition which was announced in September 2024, titled, “Effect of social media on mental health.”

The official from the JICA emphasized the exhibition’s role as a powerful platform to showcase the transformative power of art education. “Beyond its aesthetic appeal, art nurtures essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. These abilities are instrumental in a child’s holistic development, fostering self-expression, empathy, and problem-solving skills.”

The official said that the exhibition also aims to provide opportunity for Bhutanese students to showcase the talent. The official said, “The exhibition is also part of the celebration for Japan week which will be took place in first week of November,” the official said adding that it is also aims to raise awareness among local residents, particularly parents.

Additionally, the exhibition also confronts the pressing issue of social media’s impact on youth. “A key finding from the project’s initial phase revealed a lack of understanding about the significance of art education and the benefits it can have on the development of children. “To address this, the exhibition was designed as a catalyst for change,” the official from JICA shared.

The art exhibition aimed to shed light on a pressing concern: the pervasive influence of social media on young minds. “By encouraging students to explore the topic through their artwork, the exhibition fostered critical thinking and awareness of the potential consequences of excessive screen time.”

The exhibition also aims to empower art teachers to receive basic training. The official from the JICA shared that many art teachers in Bhutan lack formal qualifications in the subject, and the training aimed to equip them with essential skills to enhance their teaching practices.

Meanwhile, JICA Partnership Program (JPP) is a technical cooperation program implemented by JICA to contribute to the social and economic development of developing countries at the grass-roots level. The program is implemented in collaboration with “Partners in Japan,” such as NGOs, universities, local governments, and public corporations. JPP supports Japanese Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Japanese Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Japanese universities, Japanese local governments, and public corporations to carry out international cooperation activities in order to directly support the locals in developing countries.

JICA is currently implementing around five JPPs by facilitating cooperation and collaboration among Bhutanese and Japanese organizations. A notable project is the JPP titled “Project to Enhance the Ability to teach Art and Vitalize Local Communities through Art in the kingdom of Bhutan.” This art exhibition is being organized as one of the activities of the project.

Hamada Municipal Corporation for Education and Culture Promotion in collaboration with the Curriculum Division under the Department of School Education, MoESD launched the “Project to Enhance the Ability to teach Art and Vitalize Local Communities through Art in the kingdom of Bhutan.” Currently in the 2nd phase of the Project succeeding the first phase that took place for three years since 2017.

Nine teachers from across Bhutan and two ministry administrative staff participated in the first phase of the project. The main accomplishments of the Phase one were improvement in leadership by teachers, Development of teachers as local leaders and implementation of case studies nationwide. During Phase one, the Japanese officials implementing the project noticed certain major issues such as the non-collaborative relationship among fellow teachers in Bhutan and the local residents not acknowledging the importance of art education. The activities that they performed during the Phase one were to setup “Art Education Committee” in three areas (Thimphu, Paro and Haa) and carry out activities.

Further, to setup a “Bhutan Art Education Training Committee” to control the three local committees and to hold an art festival in the three areas where committees have been setup.

From September 2017 to October 2020, during implementation of the first phase, the Hamada Children’s Museum hosted 11 teachers in Japan three times in three years for trainings. The participants took part in trainings in material development, exhibition skills and trainings in primary and junior high schools in Hamada. Upon completing these trainings, the teachers were able to carry out art classes independently based on learnings from Japan. They also have acquired new knowledge and ideas to be creative with waste and natural resources as educational material.

Based on the learnings and reflections from first phase, the implementers implemented the following in second phase to make a plan to get all funding for purchasing of art materials and to suggest the possible reuse of scrap materials.

Also, based on the issues faced during the first Phase, the second phase aims at improving the quality of teaching within the pilot districts while attempting to improve the relations between teachers in Bhutan. And also aims to revitalize interaction within communities through deepening the local residents understanding of art education.

Beneficiaries are 29 teachers from 27 schools; 13 teachers from 12 schools in Thimphu, 10 teachers from 9 schools in Paro, 6 teachers from 6 schools in Haa, 1 official from Paro College of Education and 1 official from the MoESD. Indirect beneficiaries include 5600 students in 42 primary schools in three pilot districts.

By Nidup Lhamo, Thimphu