Education in Bhutan

Western-style education was introduced to Bhutan during the reign of Ugyen Wangchuck (1907–26), the first King of Bhutan. Until the 1950s, except for private schools in Ha and Bumthang, the only form of formal education available to Bhutanese students was through Buddhist monasteries. The most significant modern developments in education in the country came during the period of the First Development Plan (1961–66), when some 108-schools were operating and 15,000-students were enrolled.

The vision of The Ministry of Education is to have an educated and enlightened society of Gross National Happiness (GNH), built and sustained on the unique Bhutanese values of tha dam-tsig ley gju-drey. Their mission is to:

• Formulate sound educational policies leading towards knowledge-based GNH society;
• Provide equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all through provision of the necessary learning space and opportunity to harness their full potential as productive citizens; and
• Prepare the young women and men with appropriate knowledge, skills and values to cope with the challenges of the 21st century.