US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI7241

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, Bhutan 
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 
 
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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