Gearing up for GNH curriculum
Following the Ministry of Education’s decision to integrate GNH into school curriculum, some 50 curriculum developers, decision-makers, academics, and a select group of teachers are attending a capacity building workshop in Paro.
Organized by the Royal Education Council (REC) in collaboration with the International Bureau of Education (IBE), Unesco, the workshop is aimed at empowering curriculum developers to use and make informed decisions in leading and facilitating curriculum renewal and development process.
“With the ministry’s decision to infuse GNH principles into the school curriculum, we are training teachers and curriculum designers to understand the concept of quality and relevance in education and their implication for curriculum change,” said an REC representative.
The participants would be made familiar with the approaches, principles and current practices in curriculum design, development and dissemination of instructional materials based on Worldwide Pack for Capacity Building in Curriculum Change (WWRP) developed by UNESCO/IBE. Teachers would be acquainted with the instructional material packages and ways of using them effectively.
“Curriculum is indeed a crucial component of any education process. As we enter into the 21st century, education systems are confronting the challenges of the global market and knowledge besides the need to support the building of social cohesion and fostering of local cultures to sustain a sense of identity and belonging,” said Lhendup Dukpa from REC.
Lili J L, Assistant Programme Specialist with IBE, said the 10-day workshop would enable the participants to revise and amend the National Education Framework of 2009.
In keeping with the education goals to ensure that all Bhutanese children are adequately prepared to start primary schooling, that high school dropout rate is brought down, and student achievement level is improved, the need to conduct such a workshop is urgent, according to the organizers.
The workshop also aims to decentralize curriculum designing at the school level so that local needs can be stressed. By this, we intend to check rural-urban migration to some extent, said a participant. “Curriculum has distanced us from realities of local needs,” he said.
The IBE works in partnership with national education authorities, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions offering technical assistance, training, policy support and a wide range of resources, tools and materials.
Source: bhutanobserver