EDUCATION IN A HIMALAYAN KINGDOM: ANOTHER FACET OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 007241

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREF SCUL PHUM IN BT
SUBJECT: EDUCATION IN A HIMALAYAN KINGDOM: ANOTHER FACET OF
BHUTAN'S MODERNIZATION

REF: NEW DELHI 6903

Classified By: CDA Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (U) Summary: During Poloff's August 22-25 visit to
Bhutan, our interlocutors insisted that Bhutan is committed
to educating its children by providing free schooling for
all. Primary school enrollment stands at 87.8 percent. The
government's decision in the 1950s to use English as the
medium for instruction has created a large English speaking
work force. Bhutan's mountainous terrain and the remoteness
of many villages poses difficulties in providing education
for all, but the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) has
created community schools and boarding facilities to help
alleviate the problem. As more students graduate with rising
expectations, the country is finding it difficult to find
them suitable employment. The government's development plan
addressed the problem by expanding vocational training, to
better prepare graduates to enter the economy. Ethnic-Nepali
students with family members in the refugee camps face
discrimination and are often not permitted access to higher
education. End Summary.

Education For All: Almost There
--------------


2. (U) Bhutanese policy is to provide free primary education
for all Bhutanese children, and the government has made an
admirable effort to meet this goal. Tshewang Tandin,
Bhutan's Director of School Education told Poloff that the
RGOB decided four decades ago that the key to economic and
social development in Bhutan was the creation of a modern
education system that would bring the country out of
isolation and prepare its population for interaction with the
outside world. In 1961, Bhutan had 11 non-monastic schools
educating approximately 400 students. As of February 2005,
Bhutan's 476 schools were teaching 162,545, out of an
approximate population of 700,000. Enrollment increased 4.4
percent from 2004, with 87.8 percent of 6 to 12 year-olds
enrolled in primary schools. Tandin noted that current
programs to increase attendance are working well that the
RGOB has suspended plans to adopt mandatory enrollment. He
acknowledged that budgetary constraints and overcrowding in
some schools would need to be overcome before Bhutan could
meet its 100 percent enrollment goal.


3. (C) All children studying in government schools receive
free tuition, books, and when necessary, a stipend for
boarding. However, in 1993 the government began requiring
students to contribute a nominal sum to a school welfare fund
scheme. (Approximately 70 cents for primary, $2.30 for lower
secondary, and $4.60 for middle and higher secondary students
per year). The Government also provides students attending
private schools with free text books and all students in
rural areas receive free stationary. However, a UNICEF study
showed that although education is technically free, the
average parent spent approximately $40 over a six-month
period to send their child to school. UNICEF Resident
Representative Anoja Wijeyesekera told Poloff that, due to
extreme poverty in rural areas, even these small costs can
keep children out of school. Advancement through the system
is based on performance in a series of national exams, the
first after class six and the second after class ten.
Students not accepted on their first attempt can repeat the
exam or apply to vocational training institutes. Tandin
confirmed that 40 percent of class ten graduates go on to
higher secondary schools.

Language of Instruction: English Was A Good Choice
-------------- --------------


4. (U) The RGOB initially faced a difficult decision over
which language to use for instruction, before settling on
English. Bhutan has 19 indigenous languages and dialects,
with none spoken by the entire population. Tandin noted that
the decision to use English reflected both economics and the
desire to create national unity, as it would have been too
expensive to publish texts in each native language. Also,
the RGOB wanted a neutral common language that the many
regional groups could use to communicate with each other. He
pointed out that first and second grade students spend a
majority of class time learning English, so they can later
study other subjects in that language.


5. (U) The school system is modeled on the Indian system and
the government initially discussed teaching lessons in Hindi.
However, Tandin acknowledged that in retrospect, the
government is pleased with its decision to use English. "We
are in a much better position and have improved access to the
world economy, because we have a large English speaking work
force," Tandin stated. Director of Tourism Lhatu Wangchuk
noted that approximately 70 percent of the tourists who visit
Bhutan are from the United States and Bhutan's large
English-speaking labor pool makes it much easier to service
these clients.

Rural Education: A Bhutanese Solution
--------------


6. (C) Tandin asserted that providing education for rural
students is a major problem. The rugged terrain and towering
Himalayan peaks isolate numerous hamlets, with many tiny
homesteads a seven to ten day trek from the nearest road.
Tandin acknowledged that children living in these remote
areas make up a significant part of the 12 percent of
students currently not enrolled in primary school.
Wijeyesekera also pointed out that some poor parents also
require their children to work on the family farm instead of
attending school.


7. (U) With 59 percent of its schools located in rural or
remote areas, the government has created a system of
community primary schools to increase access to education.
Community primary schools provide education to villages too
small to support a regular school. Usually much smaller then
other primary schools, they employ educated villagers to
teach classes.


8. (U) Tandin commented that another reason why Bhutan has
not made schooling compulsory, is because it would cause
undue hardship for children from outlying areas. The
government's goal is to provide primary schooling within a 90
minute walking distance to all children, but Bhutan's
mountainous terrain has made this difficult. In response,
the government created boarding facilities at most schools so
children from remote areas would not be left out. The
Ministry of Education reported that 50 percent of primary,
lower secondary, and middle secondary schools have such
facilities and almost all higher secondary schools can board
students. In 2005, 15 percent of students in primary, 13
percent in lower secondary, 21 percent in middle secondary
and 60 percent in higher secondary schools took advantage of
this option.

Gender Equality: Better, But Not Perfect
--------------


9. (C) Bhutan has made great strides in providing equal
access to education, and female enrollment almost equals that
of males in primary and middle secondary schools. In 2004,
48 percent of students in primary and 49 percent of students
in lower and middle secondary schools were girls. In the
districts of Bumthang, Haa, Paro, Punakha, Thimphu, Trongsa,
and Wangdu, girl students actually outnumbered boys.
However, there is still a disparity in higher education, with
only 40 percent of students in grades ten and eleven being
female. UNICEF reported that the disparity is likely due to
the fact that many secondary schools are far away from family
homes, requiring boarding, and parents are less comfortable
sending girls to these schools. The report also noted that
boys still get preference over girls due to the widespread
belief that husbands will look after their wives. Only 33
percent of university/vocational students are female.

Higher Education: Let's Go West
--------------


10. (U) Bhutan had 18 post-secondary institutions spread
across the country with a total enrollment of 4,429 in 2004.
Tandin confirmed that although Bhutan's goal is to create a
world class university system, Bhutan continues to send many
students to India, the US, Canada, and the UK for university
education and this will not likely change. "We have more
students graduating from secondary school that should go to
university than we can accommodate," stated Tandin, "and we
feel it is good to have students educated in the West, who
will return to Bhutan with their knowledge."


11. (U) A number of interlocutors confirmed that Bhutan is
having trouble finding jobs for the increasing number of
university graduates. Department of Employment Director
Karma Tshering asserted that most college graduates would
prefer a government job, but that there are not enough to go
around. He indicated that less than 100 of this year's
approximately 600 graduates would receive jobs with the RGOB.
He noted that Bhutan needed to make private sector jobs more
attractive and his office was looking into ways to do this.

Vocational Training: A Professional Blue Collar Force
-------------- --------------


12. (U) Tshering also acknowledged that Bhutan was facing a
"skills gap" in the blue-collar sector, due mainly to a
construction boom, and needed to address the issue. In 1999,
Bhutan opened a series of vocational schools to provide
training in the "trades" and to "professionalize" the
blue-collar work force. Bhutan now has four vocational
schools with 700 students. Our interlocutors told us that
students generally are not interested in blue-collar jobs and
prefer desk jobs, due to higher salaries and less strenuous
work. In 2003 the RGOB introduced an apprenticeship program
to increase salaries and make the trades more attractive to
young people entering the work force. The program offers
graduated levels of certification and the government expects
workers in the advanced levels to demand higher salaries.
Tshering said that an entrepreneur program will start next

SIPDIS
year to teach blue-collar workers how to start small
businesses and earn more money.

Southern Bhutan: The Schools Are Open
--------------


13. (C) Acknowledging that the disturbances in southern
Bhutan in the early 1990s destroyed many schools or forced
them to close, Tandin stated that they are now open and that
new schools were built to replace those that were lost.
UNICEF's Wijeyesekera and Australian Coordination Bureau
Program Manager Ramesh Chhetri, who is ethnically Nepali and
a Hindu, confirmed Tandin's claim.

Bhutan's Dark Cloud: The Refugee Problem
--------------


14. (C) The education system is not immune to the Bhutanese
refugee problem. Our interlocutors told us that the
Government continues to deny "No Objection Certificates"
(NOCs) to ethnic-Nepali Bhutanese with family members in the
refugee camps in Nepal. The NOCs are needed for government
jobs, overseas scholarships, and admission to schools past
the tenth grade level. Chhetri, Wijeyesekera and UNDP
Resident Representative Renata Dessallien told us that
without clearances, ethnic-Nepali Bhutanese with relatives
living in the camps often could not obtain higher education
and scholarships. In a candid moment, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Under Secretary Chitem Tenzin (Protect) conceded that
this situation was discriminatory, problematic and would have
to change. He maintained that it could not last for much
longer, especially in light of the upcoming constitution and
moves toward democracy.

Comment: A Valiant Effort
--------------


15. (C) Bhutan has made a valiant effort to educate its
population, especially in light of its financial and
geographic constraints. The government's success is evident
each day at 2:30 PM when schools let out and the streets and
pathways of Thimphu fill with children in school uniforms
walking home. Reaching a primary school enrollment rate of
87.8 percent of the population would be noteworthy for any
country as poor as Bhutan, and doing so in the Himalayan
mountains, where a 20 kilometer walk can take days, is
remarkable. The Government's commitment to providing
education to its urban and rural children is clearly evident.


16. (C) Bhutan's Achilles Heal -- the refugee problem --
showed itself again when analyzing the education system.
Denying higher education to students, solely on their
relation to refugees, is discriminatory and inexcusable.
However, the RGOB recently acknowledged that Bhutan's
ethnic-Nepali population are Bhutanese citizens by issuing
them identify cards (Reftel). Tenzin's comments that the
denial of education to those with relatives in the camps was
discriminatory was also echoed by other interlocutors. With
the advent of democracy and political inclusion of this
group, this practice should diminish.


17. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website:
(http//www.state.sgov/p/sa/newdelhi)
PYATT