Opinions

Much has changed in the schools for the better of our students.  Ways of teaching and learning have changed. School environments have also transformed to absorb the changes in teaching and learning. Despite these changes, one thing has remained unchanged, and that is the excessive weights of school bags that our students lug to their schools.

In the good old days, National Service was mandatory after school. My batch had the privilege of being on National Service twice – first after Class X and then when we returned from our postgraduate studies. I am most grateful for the humbling discoveries and priceless learning that the two unique opportunities made possible.

The History of the First Bank of Bhutan In 1968 His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1952-1972) opened the first bank in the country. In his address to the gathering after the ceremony, the Third King said that, “the establishment of a bank in the country had become inevitable as a result of opening-up of the country and the introduction of money as a medium of exchange.” Until then, Bhutan followed a policy of self-imposed isolation. Cut off from rest of the world, the economy was based on barter system.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, it is important to reflect on the importance of the inclusion of gender in academia. The goal of gender professionals is to ensure fair representation of marginalized groups in a variety of discourses – be it literature, science, history, or even current affairs and popular culture. A larger awareness of the need for an inclusion of gender in everyday discourse has been recognized since the inception of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 5 of the SDG, “achieve gender equality and empower all girls and women”, calls for gender equality.

Across the world, too many women and girls spend too many hours on household responsibilities—typically more than double the time spent by men and boys. They look after younger siblings, older family members, deal with illness in the family and manage the house. In many cases this unequal division of labour is at the expense of women’s and girls’ learning, of paid work, sports, or engagement in civic or community leadership. This shapes the norms of relative disadvantage and advantage, of where women and men are positioned in the economy, of what they are skilled to do and where they will work.

“Farmers” are the least GNH happy “Agriculture is not just an industry for Bhutan but also an important source of culture in Bhutan. If the power of agriculture were to decrease, so would the power of country”.

The category of least developed country (LDC), introduced in 1971, aims to help attract special support measures for the most disadvantaged economies, which were lagging other developing nations.

Ageing is a global phenomenon and the pace of population ageing is faster in developing countries compared to the developed world. People over 60 years of age are projected to reach one billion by 2020 and almost 2 billion by 2050 representing 22 percent of the world’s population.

Sculpting and architecting a harmonious life at an old age in our country is now steadily perceived to be a distant and withdrawn reality in this age and time.

Obituary: This obituary is drawn from several discussions I have been fortunate to have with him over the last seven years. Zhenphen Rinpoche and Kelzang Jurmen summed up Khenpo’s spiritual attainments in their tributes.