(EISB) Educational Institution
Strengthening in Bhutan Phase I and Phase II (1992-2003)
The project linked Bhutan's Education System with UNB's
Faculty of Education, and provided scholarships and work
attachments for Bhutanese educators, and long and short-term
consultants for Bhutan's Education Division. Its main aim
was to strengthen the capacity of teacher training
institutes in Bhutan, upgrade the academic background of
secondary-school teachers and post-secondary lecturers, and
enhance the capacity of the Curriculum and Professional
Support Services and the Bhutan Board of Examinations.
Phase I (1992-1998)
Under the first six-year phase of the project (1992-1998),
21 Bhutanese educators (10 women, 11 men) studied at UNB.
Graduate students returned to Bhutan during the summer to
conduct research for their Master's theses. Graduates have
returned to take up positions of responsibility in the
Education Division as curriculum officers, teachers,
principals, and lecturers at various schools and institutes
throughout the country.
UNB faculty acted as advisors to Bhutan's Education
Division, assisting their Bhutanese counterparts with the
design, preparation and editing of textbooks for the new
Bhutanese social studies curriculum at the class IX and X
level. Work also began in the area of language and art.
Phase II (1998-2003)
The second six-year phase (1998-2003) continued to build on
the relationship between Canada and Bhutan. It provided
scholarships totaling forty person-years for graduate and
undergraduate degrees, as well as work attachments in Canada
for Bhutanese educators. Canadian advisors provided
continuous assistance to Bhutanese counterparts with
curriculum and staff development. In addition, the project
supported several special initiatives:
The English Language Centre
(IELTS)
The English Language Centre at the CCO designs and offers
courses in English for specific purposes, as well as editing
services. The Centre administers the International English
Language System (IELTS) exam to candidates applying for
further studies overseas. The IELTS is jointly managed by
the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES),
the British Council and IDP Education Australia: IELTS
Australia.
Master Teacher Program in Zhemgang
Teachers in remote parts of Zhemgang, a district in central
Bhutan, were trained as local resource teachers through work
attachments in Canadian schools. As of April 2003, twenty
one primary and community schoolteachers have undergone this
program.
Development of Information Technology and Library Resources
at Tertiary Institutes
In addition to building up library resources at colleges and
training institutes, the project helped to establish the
Father Mackey Memorial Computer Centre at Sherubtse College.
