History and Transition of Secular Education in Bhutan from the Twentieth into the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

What makes Bhutan a fascinating country to study, in terms of educational development, is the relatively recent transition it has made from a feudal and monastic system toward a modern capitalist economy and mass education system. This has all occurred in the last half of the twentieth century when Bhutan initially adopted the Indian education system, and it has only been in the last 20 years that the Bhutanese education system has become largely independent from India. This chapter presents a brief history of Bhutan’s secular school education system. It is predominantly a qualitative research approach with an extensive desk review and document analysis. Interviews of senior educationists and their views have supplemented the literature review. Within the structure of secular education in Bhutan, we argue that policy changes and reforms in the system to a large extent have been influenced by the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Royal Government.