National Service – Above Oneself

The news of His Majesty giving a Royal Audience to over 500 teachers who are currently in the evaluation camp at Samtse College of Education spread like a wildfire. It didn't even take a minute to reach the farthest corner of the SCE campus. Some call it a rare chance, I call it a golden opportunity in a lifetime. Everyone in the camp was overjoyed with excitement and happiness. It even relieved my long-sinking back pain yet giving another chance to meet His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo. 

As usual, and as lively as always, HM greeted the gathering with a very humbling word "labay chu" before a Royal Speech.

His Majesty shared the vision, objectives, way forward and challenges that lie ahead of us regarding the National Service Program that would commence from 2022. National Service will be for all class twelve pass out students. It also includes all drop outs after class ten or before. However, those dropouts have to register through their respective Gewog centre once they attain 18 years of age. This NS is a compulsory program for all our youth thereafter.

The lucky first batch for this National Service are this year's all class ELEVEN students which also include unlucky dropouts. I am already overjoyed with Gyalsung program. Since, in my family my little sister (going to be eleven this year) will be serving as the first batch of this program. I am already proud of her service. I am sure she would be a goodwill ambassador not only my family members but also to the community far and wide. This National Service is a one year program that will be trained by fine professionals in five different regions; Samdrupjongkhar, Mongar, Sarpang, Sibsoo, and Wangduephodrang.

HM feel that teachers are the main goodwill ambassador to pass down the knowledge and information regarding this Royal Initiative in schools and hoping to make everything ready before 2022. It is believed that teachers are the main force, and model for whatever maybe the start, and particularly this Gyalsung program. I was touched when His Majesty said, "I have a full faith and trust in my teachers." However, HM overly stressed on this –"there is no room for complacency for a tiny nation like us, and going back to those olden days would be an absolutely foolish thing to call. Sooner than we think, technology will push everything back and the future will be great only if we become an organized society now."

Thank you, Your Majesty for having great faith in us. We promise to serve with full dedication and loyalty under your guidance and promised to walk a joyful path together all the time.

After listening to HM speech, I finally realized Freedom Fighter Nelson Mandela was never foolish to quote, "Education is the most powerful weapon which can change the world." 

Nothing should bar the way for our small society. The program will include three month of intensive military training in which our students will be learning so many disciplines like drilling and other necessary fundamentals. The crowd became profound silence when HM said, "everyone would sweat all together in the camp and learn what is necessary for them." His Majesty's also assured that the program would be lively and lifelong learning. The topics like food security, and cyber security will be challenging but a life long experience that will basically glorify them both physically and mentally. Furthermore, His Majesty also shared that, when our youth grow, they must grow to be a very mindful, most productive, and a responsible citizen. His Majesty also wants our youth to be as smart and astute as possible in a very short period of time with all the limited resources we have in our hands. NS also should produce our younger generation as "one united society" despite different religion and region. It is now or never. 

HM assured that the program would be as lively and interesting as possible.  

HM also briefly shared about what Bhutan and World around would look like within and –beyond 20 years from now, we may experience digital economy, digital bank, self driving car, no over-head power transmission line, free world wide internet service, meat grown up in the labs which would increase the life expectancy around 100 years. Someday, or very soon our hydro electric power may become obsolete over nuclear power which can be made easily available with less effort, resources, and investment. 

However, it was a nicest moment when His Majesty said he would be quickly returning back to Thimphu, via Sarpang to celebrate Gyalsey's 4th birthday. More pleasing was when His Majesty said, "he is very excited, but nervous come this March for the birth of Second Royal Child and would be taking up a fatherly responsibilities, sit nearby and accompany the Gyaltsuen to raise together His Royal Highness The Gyalsey, and Second Royal Child as best as possible."

Learning and Experience From Korea

The knowledge and experience learnt from KOICA, CIAT program during two months was substantial in numerous ways. Korea is a great country not only in terms of development, and advancement in technology, but also very mindful in preserving, and promoting the environment, and its greenery aspects. In addition education in Korea was deeply rooted in every family blood for a very long period of time, which nevertheless is apposite even in our context. In Korea the education sector gets the highest attention in terms of quality and quantity thus making the education sector one of the most expensive and important sectors. 

I have learnt diverse topics like –development history, role of education, teacher policy and lifelong education, GCED in the era of SDG implementation and gender equality. The ICT session has equipped me to become a better IT literate teacher. Nevertheless, I felt some basic ICT tools are necessary for educators like me in this era of modern society. 

The main motives of KOICA Fellowship Programme are to develop strong networking and partnership between participating countries through sharing of materials and information. It helps one's personal development through different cultural exchange programs and sharing of new educational ideas and knowledge of participants that develops social awareness, better decision-making and competency in the workplace thus making a better citizen. 

  

Understanding of Education System

The training has greatly enhanced my inner and outer belief of education. I have learnt the power of education in Korea, which I felt is very much applicable in my developing country. Unlike other countries, education in Korea is different and unique, as education is everyone's business. After reaching back to my work place, I have successfully conducted a School Based In-service Programme (SBIP) to my colleagues, and students regarding my fellowship programme. I shared with them some of the good education practices of different countries, particularly Korean schools and universities. I have also shared the overview of Lifelong Education of Korea in relation to our Non-formal Education. If education needs to succeed, human resources play a very vital role, and providing timely professional development is seen as a very important area. I have also shared the importance of good teacher policy in Korea, and discussed few policies that are applicable to our Bhutanese context like highly competitive entrance exams for teachers, social status, salary and working environment that plays a very crucial role in the life of every teacher across the globe. Therefore, a good education system comes only at the cost of understanding education policies and systems of other countries.  

      Clean Drinking water and Sanitation

One very important aspect of life is getting access to clean and safe drinking water and sanitation in public places and schools. Bhutan being a mountainous country, clean drinking water is always a high-end concern especially for young children at school. However, after my fellowship programme I have learnt that Korea has done a sufficiently great job in providing clean drinking water and good sanitation particularly for students. Therefore, I have worked with the "Save the Children" project and installed water taps at strategic places from SkyHydrant water filter, which I got from Rotary Club of Thimphu (capital of Bhutan) a few years back. I shared the importance of clean and safe drinking water on a day basis with my colleagues and students and ways to improve water management. Moreover, I have shared the good practices of schools in Korea to make my water project more sustainable and realistic. However, there are difficulties in getting resources, expertise and mindset of school children. But, I remained hopeful and optimistic. 

Bhutan has a serious sanitation problem both in school and public avenues. Around 2% of the total population still do not have a proper toilet facility, which means there is still some existence of open defecation and pit latrine culture in some parts of Bhutan (2017 PHCB, Bhutan). According to UNICEF, only 33% of the Bhutanese population have access to basic sanitation services, majorities are in the rural communities. Schools are no exception. It was also found out that one in every five schools lacks functional toilets. One-third of schools have no separate toilets for girls that would generally affect children's well being both physically and mentally.  

Therefore, I have been working closely for almost five 5 years with Bhutan Toilet Organization (BTO) basically to fix these social problems at schools. However, keeping public and school toilets isn't that easy and fast. It takes lots of positive energy and skills. Moreover, resources, expertise, mindset, attitude and cultural habits are seen as the major difficulties in our local context. Through the Fellowship Program, I have learnt the beauty of clean toilets across Korea both in public places and schools. Toilets in schools are managed so well, toilets are fantastic and impressive even in primary schools, it is a place most of the school kids love to visit, however, it is opposite in schools in Bhutan. While in Korea, as part of my project titled –Clean Toilet for Better Tomorrow, I got an opportunity to visit World Toilet Association based in Suwon City where I got lots of new knowledge and wisdom from the General Secretary and Staff Members regarding managing public and schools toilets. Taking back all the knowledge and wisdom helped me a lot in sharing information especially to my students. Back in my country, as part of my project assessment, I did an advocacy roll out program across many schools of Zhemgang District and got wonderful support from schools and students. I have shared with them the toilets in Korean schools, and their mentality. Moreover, I have oriented on the pros and cons of a clean toilet for our own health and environment. We have promised to have clean toilets by cleaning our own excrement and adopting a toilet each policy. Moreover, starting from the academic year 2020, as a part of ASPnet UNESCO Programme, I have proposed to UNESCO Netcom Office for “Clean Toilet Challenge”. Therefore in this way, I hope our toilet will become usable and friendly because I always believe in –together we can! 

       Technology in education system

The power of technology in education is immeasurable. One thing I liked very much about Korea is advances in technology and infusion of technology in everyday teaching and learning. After my fellowship program, I felt the need of technology in the classroom more often than ever. Thus, I have shared with my management team, colleagues, and students the need for more technological aspects of teaching and learning in the present era than any other tools. I started teaching more often through ICT based approach –video clips, and online tutorials, which is overly seen as the most effective methods in the present time. I have also shared teaching and learning through technology as much easier, faster and effective across all the subjects. School advocated students to use mobile phones more for academic learning after school, or during home task assignment. Since, I have shared the best practices of Korean school on technology and responsible mobile phone users, I expect in a few years time, we may become a comfortable society like Korea in using technology in the education system. I am sure we may not become like Korean, but we promised to be more comfortable with technology in classroom teaching.  

       Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in teaching chemistry

I wasn’t sure about Global Citizenship Education until I undertook this fellowship program. Moreover, it became clearer only after completing the GCED Online Campus course during my fellowship program. The online campus course has benefited me a lot to understand and to apply in everyday life the concept of GCED. After the completion of course, I realized the importance of this planet, what it takes to pollute the environment, and finally how to apply it in everyday teaching and learning. Honestly, the course had immensely widened my knowledge on GCED. Moreover, as an educator it helped me to preach and practice along with students of varied backgrounds and ambition. Therefore, I taught some applicable topic in Chemistry (Green Chemistry) to equip my students to be a future GCED ambassador, and an agent of change in society. I taught topics like –sustain healthy environment, air pollution, effects of chemical fertilizers, causes of global warming, climate change and polymers by linking GCED pedagogy. After all, we must remember that the world we live in is a world that belongs to the entire living being for eternity. 

Therefore, in this way I have developed a strong sense of learning from Korea into my local context. Topics like education system, teacher policy, lifelong education, sanitation, cultural and environment preservation of Korea had impressed me a lot. After the fellowship, it improved my abilities, skills, and expertise in the diverse education system of the world. Therefore, learning experiences during and after the fellowship program was life-long, and hopefully all these experiences may transform into wholesome development of school, management, students, and community for all times.