White Paper on Curriculum Reform: Bhutan Higher Secondary Schools

This white paper proposes curriculum reform for higher secondary schools in Bhutan, advocating for the integration of vocational education to address the high unemployment rate and improve the country's economic development. The paper begins with an overview of curriculum reform, emphasizing the need to adapt to technological advancements and global changes. It identifies the lack of practical skills in the current curriculum as a major problem, leading to graduates' difficulties in securing employment. The paper examines the economic development policies of Bhutan, highlighting the importance of education and skills for economic growth. It further discusses the benefits of nationalizing the curriculum, drawing comparisons with Australia's successful model, and analyzes the impact of curriculum on the nation's progress. The paper emphasizes the need for change, citing inadequate quality and the necessity to equip students with critical thinking, innovation, and communication skills. The conclusion reiterates the importance of vocational education in preparing students for the workforce and fostering a competitive economy. This is a whitepaper on curriculum reform in Bhutan to be published on Desklib.

WHITE PAPER about
Curriculum Reform

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPIC..............................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Overview of reforming the curriculum........................................................................................1
Main issue or problem area which is required to be addressed and focus of curriculum reform 2
Economic development policy of Bhutan....................................................................................3
Nationalizing the curriculum.......................................................................................................4
Impact of curriculum upon nation...............................................................................................5
Need and requirement of reforming the curriculum....................................................................5
Ways in which main problem area can be addressed..................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

TOPIC
Proposal to introduce vocational education in mainstream curriculum in higher secondary
schools of Bhutan
INTRODUCTION
Curriculum is a broad definition that helps in explaining totality of student experience
that occurs in educational process. Curriculum helps in ensuing that students are on right track.
In other words, it is a simple sequence of planned instructions in order to enhance students
experience and archive schools’ educational goals Reis, (2018). It is important to develop an
organized curriculum for schools so that students can learn course material properly and in an
accurate manner. Proper and effective curriculum helps students to prepare themselves for higher
education, enhance their knowledge and get jobs easily. If curriculum of schools is not defined in
a proper manner then it can impact students learning and for higher secondary students it can
impact their future as well. This white paper will be focusing upon reforming the curriculum of
high secondary schools of Bhutan by introducing vocational education in mainstream curriculum
in higher secondary schools of Bhutan.
MAIN BODY
Overview of reforming the curriculum
Curriculum reform can be defined as a way or process of making changes within the
curriculum for making changes within teaching and learning in order to make it more effective
and meaningful. Changes within curriculum can be brought in various ways and for various
reasons. It is considered as a method of delivering appropriate education to students.
Advancement in technology, national and global level changes makes it important to bring
changes within curriculum Green, (2019). In order to reform a curriculum, it is important to
follow a proper procedure for reforming curriculum, that are: problem identification because of
which there is requirement to bring changes within curriculum, need assessment for targeted
learners, main goals and objectives because of which need of curriculum reformation arise,
educational strategy on the basis of which changes will be brought. After developing educational
strategy, it is implemented for bringing changes and lastly evaluation is done by asking for
feedback from students and teachers.
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Main issue or problem area which is required to be addressed and focus of curriculum reform
In this White paper main issue or problem because of need of reforming curriculum for
higher secondary schools of Bhutan arise will be explained in a clear and appropriate manner.
Today main curriculum of higher secondary schools of Bhutan has a curriculum which is
completely theoretical and practical aspects are least included. Due to this, students passed from
higher secondary school are not prepared for their future, face difficulties in getting job and
employment. Due to this issue, unemployment ratio is increasing or vice versa employment
ratio is decreasing. Due to this it has become important to focus upon bringing changes within
current higher secondary schools’ curriculum so that unemployment rate can be reduced to 2.75
percent or employment rate can be increased to 97.25 percent Dorji, (2005). From this it can be
said that the main issue of Bhutanese education system is that they only focus upon providing
theoretical knowledge to students they do not focus upon providing them with practical
knowledge, they also do not focus upon engaging students within important and required extra-
curricular activities and provide them required training like vocabulary training, vocational
training, multi-tasking activities etc.
However, there is no doubt that this type of training is provided to students of higher
level like graduates or post graduates but it is important to provide this education to students
when they are in higher secondary school. So that in their graduation they can work upon
enhancing this skills and knowledge and prepare themselves for employment. There is a need to
reform current educational system of Bhutan higher secondary schools because knowledge of
only theories is extremely difficult to be applied in practical Green, (2019). It can also be said
that current curriculum of higher secondary school of Bhutan focuses upon traditional method of
providing education to students. They need to bring changes within their educational system and
adopt updated and modern curriculum of education. They specifically need to focus upon
reforming school level curriculum so that students can be prepared for employment. It is also
found that in Bhutan there are some vocational training institutes but students can join that
institutes only after years 10 or 12 but for developing employment skills it is required to provide
them education and focus on practical aspects in higher education. And there is risk as students
do not qualify for selection in such institutions then they lost all opportunities and there is no
option remain behind and they become unemployed.
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Increasing unemployment rate is bad for economy and for societies as the whole. Increasing
unemployment rate decrease economic condition and it can create several problems. As
compared to other developed economies and countries, Bhutan will remain or lack behind and
find problems in competing with others. It can also be said that increasing unemployment rate
leads to crimes as when people do not get employment due to lack of employment skills then
they commit crimes for earning money and fostering their families. It can have several negative
impacts on the society Yangka & et.al., (2018). So, it can be said that changing curriculum and
adding vocational education in new curriculum of Bhutan is essential.
Economic development policy of Bhutan
In the context of economy of Bhutan it is found that it is one of the world’s smallest and least
developed countries. It mainly relies of agriculture and forestry for earning money and
improving economy. It is found that economic development policy 2016 is focusing on
facilitating private sector organizations as well as stimulates economic growth. Royal Bhutan has
also focused on education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as it is
believed that skills and education is vital for economic and social development. There are some
areas of this country which are playing a major role in attracting educational clientele from
around the world and all these areas include: peaceful social environment, political stability and
country’s pristine natural environment Reis, (2018). It is also found that as per the policy of
economic development, government will provide scholarship to Bhutan’s students on the basis of
issued guidelines. Investment in high quality education system and changing curriculum may
lead to privatization of public education system. Education policy shall continue to strive
towards accomplishing goal of universal education. Some developments have been made by the
ministry of education. It shall implement Bhutan education blueprint 2014-2024 and revise
territory education policy 2010. Teacher training will be given as it is the highest priority to
make sure international standards. It also focuses on maintaining high standards in education
policy. The Royal Government shall adopt policies that foster private sector investments in the
education sector. For more improvement in education and curriculum changes it will also require
more focusing on adopting policies that foster private sector investment in education sector. So,
overall it can be sad that education policy of Bhutan is effective and it can help in improving
economy by making changes in education system and also making changes in curriculum in
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higher education. It can improve economy and can also boost morale as well was confidence of
students Munawar, (2016).
Nationalizing the curriculum
In the context of nationalizing the curriculum it can be said that it can help Bhutan in
improving overall quality of education. It will be easy to visualize two way linkages between
education and economic development of the country. It is fact that education is the main key or
source of economic development. Different countries in the developing world are at different
levels of progress in this regard. There are some documents that access the quality of school
education such as national education curriculum 2009. This document mainly focuses on
curriculum development and teacher education. But it is found that several people believe that
nationalizing curriculum can create several problems regarding standards, tests and others. It can
be compared with other countries of curriculum. It is found that Australia has a national
curriculum as it helps them out in improving quality of education and it is the reason that
Australia’s students are eligible and are employed. Economy of Australia is also good as
compare to others. This national curriculum helps teachers Oh & Graber, (2019). Schools,
parents, students and communities with a clear understanding about what they have to do
actually and in what school system they are in. There are several other effectiveness of
Australia’s curriculum as it provides 10 years if foundation which includes:
 Clear curriculum content.
 Achievement standard in each subject that all students need to meet.
 Flexibility for their teachers to add or personalize learning and accordingly respond to
students’ needs.
All of these help teachers in improving skills and knowledge of students and making them able
to become eligible for employment. For providing Australian Curriculum, territory, non
government and state authorities are responsible and they also take decision regarding
implementation timeframes and classroom resources. Australian Curriculum, (2020). It helps
them out in maintaining discipline, management and quality of education system.
So, by comparing Bhutan’s curriculum with Australia’s curriculum it can be said that
there is requirement of making changes and adding vocational education for making their
students competitive. Government of Bhutan will require making changes in its educational
policy. It can also be said that by making it nationalize teachers and schools can help parents,
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societies and students in improving their skills and help them out in getting better employment
opportunities.
Impact of curriculum upon nation
School level curriculum plays a vital role upon nation. If students are not prepared and
provided advance training then it can increase overall unemployment rate of nation. Not only
this, it further impact overall development of nation by increasing country’s economy and
society. It is one of the main milestones of nation’s development. It helps in shaping overall
personality of youth of nation and helps in increasing literacy level of students and increasing
employment level that further helps to make a nation move towards development. As compared
to educational system of developed countries like Australia, England etc. Then it can be said that
educational system of most of the developed countries focuses upon including 60 percent
practical educations and extra- curricular training, and 40 percent theoretical knowledge (Green,
2019). But educational system of Bhutan focuses upon 70 percent theoretical knowledge and 30
percent practical educations and extra- curricular training. This clearly explains that there is a
need to bring changes within current educational system and reform current higher secondary
school curriculum
Need and requirement of reforming the curriculum
There are several reasons of making changes in curriculum in higher education. But one of
the main reason or requirements of making changes in curriculum of Bhutan is improving
employment rate and improving economy. It is found that curriculum of Bhutan in higher
education does not include vocational education or practical aspects and because of this, students
are lacking in employment skills. Due to lack of employment skills, they fin problems in getting
employment which is increasing unemployment rate and affecting economy to the great extent.
So, improving economy, making students competitive, having positive impacts on societies,
competing with developed countries are main reasons of making changes in curriculum in higher
education of Bhutan. Some other reasons of making changes include:
Inadequate quality: Students and citizen realized that current graduates do not have skills
and abilities to fulfil needs of private sector organizations. Teaching method in Bhutan does not
assists students to develop basic competencies in critical thinking, innovation, communication
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and other skills. So, overall it can be said that quality of education is poor and require changes
Education Reform in Bhutan, (2008). By making changes students can be made able to become
workforce needed by the Bhutanese labour market.
Limited diversity of educational track: Bhutan’s education system is poor as it has not
been able to produce students with specific scientific knowledge and skills. Due to lack of
practical and vocational education, many students lack in science and math which is prerequisite
to many programs. It is also found that most of the students which have applied had taken up
studies in humanities which have fewer available as compare to other in Bhutanese market
Dolma, (2016). .
All of these factors affect the overall economy of the Bhutan and it is the reason, education
ministry of Bhutan is focusing on making changes in curriculum of higher education and
education system as well.
Ways in which main problem area can be addressed
There are some effective strategies have been found which can help Bhutan in changing
education system as well as curriculum which can make students able to get employment
opportunities and improving their living standard. Empirical rational and power coercive are
main strategies. It is also found that professional learning communities support establish
collaborative teaming as it can help all institutions in improving employability skills among
students and making them able to become appropriate candidate to get employment as per the
Bhutanese labour market.
For adding vocational education in curriculum, Royal government of Bhutan is focusing on
education sector because it believes that other sector like health, prosperity; happiness and
education are all dependent on this sector. If students will able to get employment opportunities
then only they can help country in improve economy, can make their societies happy and
peaceful. So, they initiated reforms to streamline as well as strengthen the structure of the school
systems, curriculum and teacher competencies National Education Framework Curricular
Perspective, (2009). So, it can be said that government of Bhutan is playing a major role in
changing education system and improving curriculum of Bhutan in higher education.
In addition, it is also found that Bhutanese education system is focusing on improving
relation with other institutions, making partnership with schools, parents, communities and
private providers in order to support qualitative improvement of educational services. Some
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important steps have also been taken such as: pace setting schools of excellence in partnership
with private sector and government regulatory mechanism Vocational Education in Bhutan.
(2017). Parent association active influencing decisions in schooling. Structure of education
system has also being developed and reformed by adding TVET (technical and vocational
education training). Vocational institutes are providing training to teachers for strengthening
them and increasing their skills for teaching students in an effective manner.
CONCLUSION
It has been summarized from the above study that education is the main key of improved
economy as it increases employment rate of country. It has shown some problems which
Bhutanese students are facing while getting employment opportunities only because of lack of
vocational education in curriculum. Education system of Bhutan is not effective as it creates
several problems and has been affecting economy to the great extent. This study has also
discussed some ways by which educational system of Bhutan can be improved and curriculum
can be changed in higher education. Government also plays a vital role in improving education
system of countries as their main responsibility is making their country competitive.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Dolma, P. (2016). Investigating Bhutanese mathematics teachers' beliefs and practices in the
context of curriculum reform (Doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of
Technology).
Dorji, L., (2005). Youth in Bhutan: Education, employment, development.
Green, B., (2019). Introduction–National curriculum: international perspectives. Curriculum
Perspectives. 39(2). pp.179-180.
Munawar, S. (2016). Bhutan improves economic development as a net carbon sink. Washington
DC: Climate Institute.
Oh, J., & Graber, K. C. (2019). Physical Education Teacher Education Leaders’ Perceptions on a
National Curriculum in Physical Education. Research quarterly for exercise and
sport. 90(3). 362-376.s
Reis, S., (2018). Curriculum reform: Why? What? How? and how will we know it works?. Israel
journal of health policy research. 7(1). p.30.
Yangka, D. & et.al., (2018). Sustainability in an emerging nation: The Bhutan case
study. Sustainability. 10(5). 1622.
ONLINE
Education Reform in Bhutan. 2008. Online Available through: <
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304699281_Education_Reform_in_Bhutan_M
eeting_the_Youth_Employment_Challenge >
Vocational Education in Bhutan. 2017. Online Available through: <
http://drukjournal.bt/vocational-education-in-bhutan/>
National Education Framework Curricular Perspective. 2009. Online Available through: <
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/sites/default/files/Renewing_School_Education_in_Bhutan.p
df >
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Australian Curriculum. 2020. Online Available through: <
https://www.education.gov.au/australian-curriculum-0#:~:text=Australia%20has%20a
%20national%20curriculum,school%20system%20they%20are%20in.>
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