He Was a Tamil Teacher-Orator Known Across the World
Key Takeaways for Parents & Students
- Review official circulars and verify key requirements directly with authenticated campus administration.
- Keep registration numbers, student identification credentials, and necessary documentation accessible.
- Explore verified school and college profiles on DextroCampus for institutional guidance and transparent fee schedules.
Full Story & Background
Finding the Right School for Upcoming Admissions?
Explore audited campus infrastructure, verified board credentials (CBSE, ICSE, IB), and transparent fee schedules across India.
Related Education Stories
View all
Minister says UDF will decide on PM SHRI soon
Keralam's UDF will discuss the PM-SHRI scheme for schools, amid concerns of BJP influence, while weighing its benefits for 1.8 million students.
SNDT Women’s University Felicitates VC Prof Ujwala Chakradeo And Pro-VC Dr Ruby Ojha For Five-Year Leadership
SNDT Women’s University felicitated Vice-Chancellor Prof Ujwala Chakradeo and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Ruby Ojha for their leadership and contributions during their five-year tenure. The ceremony at the Churchgate campus was attended by faculty, officials and students, who highlighted various initiatives undertaken during their tenure for the university’s development.
Where Happiness Goes to School: Elementary School, Paro (Bhutan)
In a world where the word ‘education’ has become a byword for a ‘milking cow’ for pecuniary benefits rather than spreading enlightenment via its inherent quality of knowledge in the rank and file of our planet, there are still places (read: countries) like Bhutan who has moved every ounce of its national energy to make sure the retention of the real quality of education. In this small Himalayan kingdom tucked away in the remote recesses of the Himalayan ranges, the question that the innumerable schools of this nation-state ask its students is not merely –What should a child learn? But also –What kind of human being should the child become? This philosophy lies at the heart of Bhutan’s approach to elementary education. Over here in Bhutan, education is viewed not simply as a route to employment, but as an instrument for creating balanced, compassionate, culturally rooted and environmentally conscious citizens. High-sounding words? Not at all. Welcome to an offbeat write-up that has been drawn personally from our recent experience in Bhutan, which had a chastening effect on self and my better half, while on a tour to this faraway landlocked country. It is here in these schools of formative training that the USP of Bhutan finds its most evocative expression—‘Gross national happiness’( GNH). What better way to express the same when one casts a look on the National Education Policy of Bhutan, which says in so many words—quote—’ Children are expected to develop an understanding of their culture, care for others, and nurture critical and creative abilities, as also the capacity for lifelong learning’—unquote. Since Better Half is a nationally acclaimed teacher in one of the schools of Pune, she was bound to gravitate to this subject when she came around to witness scores of children in Thimphu, Paro and other places going around their activities, attired in their school uniforms tailored around the national dress consisting of Gho/ Kira. Though on a vacation to a foreign land, the last thought that crosses your mind is to evince interest in a country’s education system. But then there are few countries in this world that can rival Bhutan in matters concerning the HDI (Human Development Index) in the form of GNH permeating their education or the school system. It was a chance encounter while undertaking a morning walk during our stay in Paro that self and wife came across the ‘Paro Elementary School (ECCD- Early childhood care and development). The most distinctive feature of Bhutanese education is the attempt to translate GNH from a national development philosophy into an everyday educational practice. The ‘Educating for Gross National Happiness’ (EGNH) initiative was introduced across Bhutan’s school system in 2010. Its objective was to prepare and integrate GNH principles into a definite curriculum and pedagogy, as well as to create what Bhutan calls a ‘GNH School’ or ‘Green School’. This concept went beyond trees and gardens to include intellectual, academic, social, cultural, spiritual, aesthetic and moral dimensions of development. This has profound implications for elementary education. A young child-student learns that happiness is not synonymous with consumption. Human dimensions like Cooperation, respect, nature, community, culture, etc. matter. The two most abiding spectacles of Bhutanese students that took me and my better half by pleasant surprise in Thimphu & Paro were their wearing of school uniforms in traditional Bhutanese national attire and not carrying any mobile phones, unlike in India, where both of these norms are flouted with impunity. The physical manifestation of these two facets are in a way, an assertion of the Bhutanese way of imparting ENGH. The elementary school (ECCD) at Paro is located at Tshendona, providing foundational learning and early childhood care. This school was just a stone’s throw from our place of stay at Paro, hence our chance encounter with this institution. Nestled among the gentle and rolling hills of Paro, the school couldn’t have asked more in terms of its idyllic setting. Perhaps nowhere is Bhutan’s educational philosophy more visible than in its relationship with the environment. Bhutan has consciously attempted to make environmental stewardship part of children’s education. School activities can connect children with agriculture, local ecosystems, and cleanliness. This is more relevant in a Himalayan country whose identity and economy are closely connected to its natural environment. Elementary education in Bhutan begins with pre-primary and extends through the primary years, broadly covering the foundational stage up to class VI. The emphasis is on creating strong foundations in literacy, numeracy and language, while simultaneously developing social, emotional and ethical capabilities. This is where Bhutan’s educational philosophy differs significantly from the examination-driven model familiar in much of South Asia, including India. Modernisation often creates a difficult situation for smaller nations; how does one embrace the modern world without losing one’s identity? Bhutan has very intelligently tackled this issue. Dzongkha, the national language, is taught alongside English, which serves as the medium of instruction throughout the length and breadth of this Himalayan kingdom. Unlike India, which, even after eighty years after independence, has been witness to fighting amongst its southern states with the centre at New Delhi over the issue of Hindi as a medium of instruction. Not only this, even the NEP 2020 of India does not emphasise Hindi/ National language as the mandatory medium of instruction. Amazingly, school life in Bhutan itself reinforces cultural identity. National dress, national anthem, traditional practices and knowledge of Bhutanese heritage are integrated into the educational environment. How much of the above facets have been implemented into the Indian schools? The objective is not isolation, but rooted in globalisation. There is sometimes a tendency to interpret GNH education as an alternative to academic rigour—as though Bhutan is choosing happiness over mathematics, science or technology. That would be a big misnomer. Having interacted with a few students at Paro during my visit to Bhutan, what I could gather was that there was no difference between an average Bhutanese student vis-à-vis any other student of the world in so far as knowledge was concerned. The same tendency was reflected and understood while I interacted with my Bhutanese guides Wangchen and Kinley Dorjee during the tour, who displayed an excellent sense of civility, command over the English language and general awareness. Indeed, Bhutan has recently moved towards greater alignment of its national school curriculum with Cambridge standards. When I discussed the comparative analysis of the education system of India and Bhutan with my better half during the tour, she came up with some very compelling evidence of what ails our system despite rolling out the NEP 2020 by the GOI. As per her, the core philosophy of education in both countries is similar, but the execution of this philosophy is tempered with the expediencies of the situation that keeps changing in India’s case. Bhutan emphasises a strongly linked GNH—character building, wellbeing, values, environment and such like facets in its education system, unlike us, wherein we stress upon academic achievement, examinations, and future employability as our core pillars of teaching. In child development, Bhutan lays stress on emotional, moral, social and physical development aspects. India too does the same, albeit in practice academics often dominate the above-stated facets. In matters of classroom atmosphere, values, teacher –student relationship, Bhutan demonstrates its age-old propensity of nurturing community–oriented activities. But in the case of India (as per my better half), these facets are variable, notwithstanding the existence of excellent personal mentoring. Moreover, large classes can make these variables difficult to execute, which she has been facing throughout her teaching stint at Pune. Though our interaction with the Bhutanese education system was brief and only restricted to a few ‘tete-a-tete’ with the locals, it was nevertheless enough to wisen us about the country’s forward march to awakening its younger generation. The world is beginning to rediscover something that Bhutan placed at the centre of its national philosophy decades ago—‘Development without human well-being is incomplete, and education without human development is equally incomplete’. (The writer is a retired army officer and a regular scribe of Rising Kashmir & can be approached at his email: slalotra4729@gmail.com)