Wednesday, December 27, 2017

I call him 'Brother'

This is a lad that I got to tell
I call him my brother
He listens to my pointless thought
With all his passionate still
And helps to untangle my obstructions.




He is more of calling simply brother
For him being so sweet and sound
Softly pardoning me everytime
Help connecting dots when I get lost
Smoothly stirring my soul with indulgence.

I hope, together we move on
Letting our smile exchange for no reason
For us being preciously owned,
Like sibling, like friend
Calling brother, ever and always

My Amateur View on Tourism Exemption Levy Bill.

The principle of 'high-value, low impact' tourism development, a guiding tourism growth of Bhutan is highly commendable and has undoubtedly contributed to the unique tourism brand of the country until now.
This policy has paid off well to the objective of maximizing foreign exchange earning while minimizing the potential adverse environmental and cultural impacts. The framework was pinned down in line with the unique development concept of Gross National Happiness.
Tourism has been the second only to hydropower interms of revenue generation, with the policy of imposing a USD 200 to 250 per person per day tariff (including USD 65 royalty charged by the government plus food, accommodation, local transport and guides). With this revenue generation, tourism in Bhutan succeeded in providing a source of good government income , while at the same time making tourism in Bhutan an exclusive and distinctive destination.
I personally do not see USD 65 royalty waive for the tourists visiting eastern Bhutan a only solution for the issue of promoting tourism to 6 eastern dzongkhags. This royalty waive to eastern Bhutan will incur huge loss on government revenue, and at the same time clearly defying the policy of high-value, low-impact with promotion of mass tourism in eastern Bhutan indirectly. I also feel that this royalty waive will create the country with different rule and regional biasedness as there are few other dzongkhags with the least or same tourists arrival than the those 6 eastern dzongkhags.
The issue can be confronted by working into making Bhutan a year-round tourist destination (solving the seasonality challenge) and by building good road networks and infrastructures in all parts of Bhutan (making all places accessible and convenient).

To Whom It May Concern

The development strategy of our country are all planned around the environment and accords environment as one of the major pillars of the GNH. The commitment to conservation has been expressed in its National Vision, “Bhutan aspires to be a self-reliant, environmentally sustainable, democratically governed, and culturally vibrant nation whose citizens are highly skilled, capable of responding to the emerging global challenges and contributing to equitable and sustainable socio-economic development and wellbeing of the community in which they live and the country at large.”
In this regard, Ministry of Education of Royal Government of Bhutan has come with commendable initiative of introduction of Environmental Science (ES) in the formal curriculum of secondary schools across the nation. As education being a potent weapon and panacea of all evils that can do wonders, the ES curriculum in schools can serve that function in confronting the environmental challenges. The initiative truly will help to develop new knowledge, skills and values for attaining a better quality of environment and higher quality of life. It can bring about change in the attitude of the masses to do something concrete about the solution of current environmental problems and the prevention of new ones.
Ministry of Education with support from Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation (BTFEC) has introduced Environment Science (ES) Curriculum as an optional subject in class IX and X in 2015 and 2016. The Class IX ES text book was launched on 21 February 2015 in dedication to the 60th Birth anniversary of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. About 5000 copies of text books were printed and distributed to middle secondary and higher secondary schools.
Today with financial support of about Nu. 5,236,000.00 from the BTFEC, Royal Education Council (REC) is in the process of introducing Environmental Science in classes XI to XII with the goal to build a cadre of young people equipped with knowledge, skills and values to engage them in the conservation of natural heritage, promoting sustainable and equitable use of natural resources, preventing all forms of environmental degradation in the pursuit of GNH. This initiative is also felt so important to maintain linkage and consistency in learning.
The subject was introduced in schools for the student to learn, and the learning happen at school together with teachers in placed to teach and guide. In the Education Minister note at Teacher Human Resource Policy, 2014; he stated that the “the quality of education cannot exceed the quality of teachers”. How we grow and develop as a nation in the long run depends on the quality of leaders coming out of our education system, and this in turn largely depends on the quality of teachers we have in our schools. Therefore, the quality of teachers, their subject relevancy and the quality of their teaching are crucial factors in achieving the desired student outcome. Thus, the Chapter 3 of the Teacher Human Resource Policy focused on recruiting qualified professionals as per the subject specialization and with the right aptitude and attitude into the teaching profession.
The ES subject has been introduced few years ago and the subject for class 11 and 12 is soon going to get introduced in the schools, but who is going to teach the subject.
To facilitate mainstreaming ES in schools, 107 teachers from Middle Secondary Schools and Higher Secondary Schools were trained to teach ES curriculum in class IX and X for few days in 2014. Again, REC trained 110 Science teachers from all secondary schools at Tsirang this year for about 11 days to facilitate the ES in class 11 and 12, spending the budget of about Nu.2.5 Million. Thus, several question arises here;
1. Does the Science teachers with Physics, Chemistry and Biology background considered competent enough to teach totally new Subject with just few days training?
2. Science teachers, otherwise specialized to teach three science subjects adding an additional task to teach new Subject is a solution to alarming numbers of teachers resignation?
3. Is it not contradicting to ‘Ministry plan of One Teacher, One Subject Policy?’ As per the Executive Order by Secretary dated on August 4, 2017, he mentioned that “ the resolution of the 18th National Education Conference (NEC) held from January 9-12, 2017 at Phuntsholing, that all teachers must choose competent as per the one subject one teacher policy as per their subject specialization.
4. Is this not the sign of poor stakeholders’ consultations and dialogues among different organizations and agencies like Ministry of Education that introduced the Subject, Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) that recruits competent teachers and Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) and its Constituents and affiliated Colleges that offer tertiary education and Ungraduate course as per the needs of Civil Service?
5. Are Ministry and RCSC are still not aware about the tertiary level Environmental Science graduate? RCSC has not specified any slot for Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in ES subject. Already the two batches of Environmental Science student’s graduated with Bachelor of Science degree from Sherubtse College. Again in coming year, another batch each from the Royal Thimphu College and College of Natural Resources are graduating with this Degree.
6. Does the Subject is considered so minor at schools that the contents in it are not important to impart effectively to our students by a subject specialized teachers?
Education Ministry is going to held Sherig Conference in Panbang, themed, a king’s vision, country future and a people’s dream, it is timely for me to express this as one among many of the people’s dream. There, the highest executive level of ministry, DEOs, Principals and teachers are going to sit together and discuss on the educational reforms and the ways for the improvement. Realizing the fact that Education is a public interest, hope my concerns here will reach to all the people To Whom It May Concern as a expression of humble concern.

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