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Category: Spring Edition
Spring Edition ,
July 19th, 2022
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Preface
Spring Edition ,
May 4th, 2020
By The Druk Journal
The Druk Journal talks to Gerd Leonhard, a well known Europeanfuturist, keynote speaker, author and filmmaker who specialises in the debate between humanity and technology. The Druk Journal: We Bhutanese are asking how far behind are we in technology? The digital literacy in our society is relatively low and...
Spring Edition ,
May 4th, 2020
By Toby Walsh
Bhutan is sometimes described as “a pebble between two boulders”, a small country caught between the two most populous nations on earth — India and China. This pebble is, however, about to be caught up in a vortex — the transformation of our economic, political and social orders by...
Spring Edition ,
May 4th, 2020
By Jeremy Wagstaff
When the internet was invented, privacy was not the main issue. Everyone was too nice, and behaved themselves. Those days, sadly, have gone. The internet that emerged in the 1960s and early 70s was primarily a place for academics, and those technical and curious enough to scale the barriers...
Spring Edition ,
May 4th, 2020
By Sille Larsen Nielsen
How the EU adopted a legal framework to protect their citizens’ personal data from being misused or carelessly handled, and to what extent Bhutan can benefit from these (hard earned) experiences. In May, 2018, the European Union implemented a common set of data protection laws — General Data Protection...
Spring Edition ,
May 4th, 2020
By Mark Mancall
An Unashamed Editorial Opinion It is possible that we are lost. From the outside looking in, an interested observer, lacking access to the privy conversation of the nation’s leadership, could be excused for thinking that the drive to bring technology to Bhutan resembles nothing so much as wandering in...
Spring Edition ,
May 4th, 2020
By Dr Karma Phuntsho
“From the Buddhist point of view, there are two types of mechanisation which must be clearly distinguished — one that enhances a man’s skill and power, and one that turns the work of man over to a mechanical slave, leaving man in a position of having to serve the...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Needrup Zangpo
Teeming Millions As of March 2020, 3.8 billion people in the world (49 percent of 7.7 billion people) are on social media. Of the 7.7 billion, 2.4 billion people (33 percent) are on Facebook, the world’s most widely used social media platform. According to www.datareportal.com, an online digital data...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Ujjwal Deep Dahal
A Case in Point for Developing Economies Amid changes and challenges lie opportunities. In the last 300 years, when human civilisation has undergone three industrial revolutions, unprecedented innovation has taken place at fundamental and applied levels. As our civilisation adopts and adapts to the 4th Industrial Revolution, largely leveraging...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Garab Dorji, Tandin Dendup
“…Technologies excite me, as they present immense opportunities for the future. Among the many countries in the world, those which prepare for this change and build the foundations to take advantage of such technological advancements will prosper and develop. Those which are not able to do so will invariably...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Kinley Rinchen
Industry 4.0 The new Industrial Revolution has dawned. Industry 4.0 has brought about unprecedented changes across economies. Technological disruption in the market, through automation and artificial intelligence and the like, has machines replacing humans in unimaginable ways. Scholars predict that about “five million jobs will be lost within 2020”....
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Tshewang Dorji
Introduction Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is crucial for realising the national vision of transforming Bhutan into an IT enabled knowledge based society. To realise this vision, the Royal Government of Bhutan launched the Chiphen Rigphel Project in 2010 with financial assistance of Nu 2.05 billion from the Government...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Yeshey Lhendup
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has brought significant changes in almost all aspects of our lives — more so in recent years — and its pace of development shows no sign of slowing down; it is indeed developing faster than ever before. During the 14th Convocation of the Royal...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Lungten Zangmo
Bhutan plans to move into a new era – a technology-driven phase of development and growth. Spurred by the rapid global momentum in technological innovation, the government is responding to His Majesty The King’s advice – on National Day, 2019 – to articulate a 21st century economic roadmap. So...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Dr Tshering C. Dorji
Introduction Science and Technology Parks (STPs) have played an important role in the socio-economic progress and technological advancement of many countries. STPs originated from the US in the 1950s to meet the needs of entrepreneurially-minded academics, to exploit their research results commercially. During the 1990s, an increasing number of...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Atsuko Okuda
Frontier Technologies and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development: The case of Bhutan Introduction The emergence of frontier technologies — such as quantum computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of things (IoT), Big Data, 3D printing and Blockchain — have ignited a series of far-reaching transformations globally. Examples abound — autonomous...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By Jigme Tenzing
The Beginning Bhutan began looking at Information Communication Technology as a means to improve public service delivery as early as 2004 when a policy document, the Bhutan InfoComm Policy and Strategy (BIPS), was developed by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) to guide ICT development in Bhutan. The...
Spring Edition ,
May 1st, 2020
By The Druk Journal
Bhutan in the Age of Technology “The question I have is how are we able to leverage technology… As a small country, unencumbered by the complexities faced by much larger countries, we can do things faster and better than others. Our institutions can be smart, flexible, responsive, dynamic and...
Spring Edition ,
December 5th, 2019
By The Druk Journal
Education for the 21st century and beyond PDP’s Prayers for Education Bhutan’s story of education is one of success. It has given us a proud nation and talented people. We have achieved 74 percent literacy rate with 99.8 percent primary enrolment. Our education continues to be forward looking –...
Spring Edition ,
December 5th, 2019
By The Druk Journal
The Removal of Cut off Point for Class X The cut off point is a certain percentage of marks set by the Bhutan Council for School Examination and Assessment (BCSEA) under the Ministry of Education for students sitting for the Bhutan Civil Service Examination (BCSE) in consonance with the...
Spring Edition ,
December 5th, 2019
By The Druk Journal
Re-visiting and re-envisioning Bhutan’s education system in the 21st century: Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa on its education pledges Education is free in Bhutan which invests a large amount of money in education. According to a report by the World Bank (2019), Bhutan’s spending on education constituted 5.1 percent of Gross...
Spring Edition ,
December 5th, 2019
By The Druk Journal
Education – Transcending Your Own Domains The primary benefit of education, amongst a myriad of things, must be freedom. Freedom from poverty, freedom from ignorance, freedom from not having less, freedom from drudgery, emotional and psychological freedom, Freedom from the imagined order (social, economic and political constructs), and political ...
Spring Edition ,
December 5th, 2019
By Dr Janet W. Schofield
For centuries, Bhutan remained remote from the rest of the world due both to its mountainous topography and its desire to protect itself from outside influence and interference. But in the last half of the 20th century the country began to permit, as well as to seek, more international...
Spring Edition ,
December 5th, 2019
By Dr Tandin Dorji
A Government Vision for Tertiary Education “Twenty years from now, we will be equipped with the full range of institutions required for the formation of the knowledge and skills required to sustain the nation’s further development. At the apex of our institutions of learning will be a well-equipped university...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Dr Sonam Chuki
Broadly speaking, education, in itself, is a path towards a progressive human life. The Buddha viewed education as a path to human enlightenment, or liberation from repeated suffering. Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s eminent presidents, stated that education is central to creating an “enlightened citizenry… for the proper functioning...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Pelden
Background The Non-Formal Education (NFE) programme in Bhutan was introduced in 1990. It was initiated by the National Women’s Association of Bhutan (NWAB) by Royal Command during the 53rd National Assembly, mainly to empower Bhutanese women. Recognising its importance, the responsibility of overseeing the programme was entrusted to the...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Phuntsho Wangdi
Introduction The Royal Government of Bhutan accords the highest priority to the education sector as it believes that the country’s quality of health, prosperity, happiness and progression hinges on the quality of its education. In the early 1960s, modern education with English as the medium of instruction was introduced,...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Dr Kezang Sherab & Dr Matthew J. Schuelka
Introduction The two primary historic reasons for establishing institutions of higher education worldwide have been both a place of learning as well as a centre for generating new knowledge. This has been the case globally, and has its roots in a wide variety of philosophical traditions, from Buddhism to...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Tenzin Chhoeda
The pursuit of quality education in Bhutan dates back to the beginning of modern education system itself. All the Five-Year Plans, without exception, have devoted a section to the subject. And yet, after 60 years of development and reforms, quality education remains as elusive as ever. The notion of...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Jouni Kangasniemi
On April 14, elections were held in Finland for the Parliament which is the supreme decision-making authority for national decision-making. The Finnish parliament is unicameral and has two hundred members who are elected for a term of four years. Currently, the members of the parliament belong to 11 parliamentary...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Kencho Pelzom
As educators we want motivated students who aspire to learn, not just in schools, but throughout their lives. If we want our students to be motivated to learn and perform well, wherever they go and whatever they do, it is high time we assess why we send our children...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By TW (Tom) Maxwell
I first worked in Bhutan in 1997 for the then Department of Education and have joined others in marvelling at the progress that has been made. Working alongside educators in the Ministry of Education and the two education colleges has been a privilege. Welcoming many Bhutanese to the University...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Chencho Lhamu
Introduction What is educating for happiness? It is certainly not cerebral studying of the four pillars, the nine domains, and the 72 plus indicators of Gross National Happiness (GNH). But many people may intuitively refer to the domains and pillars of GNH on encountering the above question. My doctoral...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Dr Yang Gyeltshen
“At this moment in time, circa 2018, it is clearer than ever that a new approach to education is key to the survival of the world in general and of Bhutan in particular. This is no exaggeration. The world’s current education system is not only outdated and even obsolete...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Kabir Saxena (Bhikshu Sumati Sasana)
Reflections on nature, sanity, and education from an ashamed Indian well-wisher One of the similies for the Buddha Nature, or the basic goodness, that we are all said to possess is like pure gold that has been lost by the side of the road which then gradually accumulates so...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By Lopen Lungtaen Gyatso
Introduction The world has seen unprecedented progress in the fields of science and technology, transforming life on a scale unimaginable a few decades ago. Nations across the globe are exploring ways to enhance human life and experience through innovative economic and social activities. Universities and other educational institutions are...
Spring Edition ,
December 4th, 2019
By The Druk Journal
Educating Bhutan – Nurturing a Society That Learns to Learn The theme for the Spring, 2019, issue of The Druk Journal reflects the long-term vision provided for Bhutan’s growth by His Majesty the King. On education, His Majesty said: “…as I serve my country, I have a number of...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Tshering Palden, Tempa Wangdi
Democratic transition is usually a process of successive developments. Such was the case in Bhutan. Taking into account the context – the point from which it took off and the environment in which it took shape – where every initiative to modernise the country has emanated from the Kings....
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Needrup Zangpo
The Family Factor As the 2008 general election loomed, a family of six in Baynangra village in Pemagatshel was forced to flee their home to a nearby cowshed. Seventyyear-old Lungten and his 66-year-old wife Phurpa had to take shelter in the cowshed, along with their four children, when their...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Phuntshok Chhoden, Kunzang Lhamu
Policy and Legal Framework (At National and International Level) Bhutan has given due importance to increasing women’s participation in development activities, elected offices and decision-making positions. A review of the five-year plans indicate that, while a gender-neutral position had been maintained by the Government in its policies, plans and...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Dr Brian C. Shaw
Too much has been written about democracy. Still, many in Bhutan (both before and after 2008) crave a closer understanding – an education – of the relevance of this new approach to public policy. In this life, and in this age, we need to hone our abilities for change...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By The Druk Journal
Bhutan is approaching its third general election under the Constitution, which was adopted to establish a Democractic Constitutional Monarchy. The election being scheduled for late 2018, the Spring 2018 issue of The Druk Journal aims to contribute critically and constructively both to the 2018 elections and to the process...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Siok Sian Pek-Dorji
The Implications of Politicising Youth Come November this year, an estimated 432,000 Bhutanese citizens are eligible to go to the polls to elect the party which will form the government for the next five years. It is difficult to gauge how many will actually do so but the question...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Bjørn Førde
How to Address the Challenges? Once upon a time My mother was born into a social democratic family, just like her father. She had been a party member since she was old enough to vote, and she voted for the party in every election. I once asked her if...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Kesang Dema
It was almost typical in the past for a family in the backwoods of the country to occasionally greet “government people” at their doors. It was either the agriculture extension officer communicating about the use of fertilisers, or the village health worker conveying health and sanitation tips, or the...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Tashi Dema
Norzang, after returning from Thimphu, tells the farmers in his remote village that members of ruling and opposition parties “argue like a married couple” during the live broadcast of National Assembly (NA) sessions. The villagers, who do not have television to watch the deliberations and news, say that since...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Kinley
Bhutan transitioned to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy in 2008 and conducted its first parliamentary elections. In the words of former Chief Justice of Bhutan, Sonam Tobgye, the chairman of the then Constitution Drafting Committee, ‘Democracy in Bhutan is truly a result of the desire, aspiration and complete commitment of...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By The Druk Journal
On 1st September 2007, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) got registered as the first political party in the country. As we celebrate our 10-year journey and service to Tsa-wa-Sum, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on our past and look at our present and the future: where we came...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By The Druk Journal
Introduction Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) was founded in 2007 and is one of the two oldest political parties in the country. DPT is dedicated to realising the vision of our Kings. It is committed to the creation of a unique democratic culture, the fabric of which is woven from...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Ugyen Penjore
Whose City? Whose Thrompon? Last summer, like in most summers, numerous potholes appeared in the stretch of road below the Kuensel office at Changzamtog. When it rained, water overflowed from the storm drainage and poured onto the road, filling the potholes. It became a trap for motorists. Those plying...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By The Druk Journal
The Birth of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa When democracy came to Bhutan in 2008, it began on a hopeful note. It came as a gift from the Golden Throne to the people of Bhutan. As was articulated by His Majesty The King to the newly elected members of the National...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Emmanuel C. Lallana, PhD
Social Media — a group of online tools that enable users to create and share content and to participate in social networking — has made citizen participation in determining their future a real possibility. But in a very short period of time social media, most associated with Facebook and...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Tshering Eudon
Introduction Bhutan made its transition from an absolute Monarchy to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy in 2008. Since then, I have noticed a change in the community relations among rural voters in my own community in Radhi-Sakteng, in eastern Bhutan. The Radhi-Sakteng constituency has four gewogs1: Radhi, Phongmey, Merak and...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Stephan Sonnenberg
Much has been written about the impact of social media on democracy, especially in recent years. In part, this explosion of commentary on the role of social media came about as the result of several very high-profile elections, among them the presidential election in the United States, that some...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By Dasho Kinley Dorji
The 203 gups (heads of county) who received the Dhar (scarf symbolising confer of rank) from His Majesty The King in October 2016, are negotiating a new era in Bhutanese politics. As one gup, a veteran of more than 20 years as a village headman, described it: “The situation...
Spring Edition ,
March 20th, 2018
By The Druk Journal
After two successive elections and governments, Dr Karma Phuntsho shares some of his reflections on Bhutan’s democracy and electoral practices with The Druk Journal. The Druk Journal: How would you rate the introduction of democracy to Bhutan in the past 10 years? Dr Karma Phuntsho: Democracy was not introduced...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Mark Mancall
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Let us be very frank. “Identity” does not really exist, at least not as an external object, out there somewhere in material reality. This may seem like a harsh statement to some, but think about it! If I...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Om Pradhan
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here I recall that it was in New York in 1980, when I was Bhutan’s permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations that Dale Djerassi1 interviewed me for the 1982 PBS documentary, Bhutan- A Strange Survival. One of the...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Dzongsar Jamyang Kyentse
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here What does it mean to be Bhutanese, or not? Is there more to it than just being born in Bhutan of Bhutanese parents? I have a friend who was not born in Bhutan and whose parents are not Bhutanese,...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Kinley Dorji
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here World leaders, anthropologists, philosophers, stateless people around the world have pondered over the question of national identity, trying to define and re-define it at different times, under different circumstances, in different perspectives. Many believe that it is not really...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Tashi Choden
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Our inheritance Bhutan’s journey from the 20th into the 21st century is one that the Bhutanese take great pride in. Our Fourth Druk Gyalpo regarded as a wise, skillful and compassionate leader worked tirelessly to build on the foundations...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By John Ardussi
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Is there such a thing as a Bhutanese “national identity?” If so, how can it be defined, and how did it arise? Of related interest is the question of governance. Over the past thousand years or so, Bhutan has...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Karma Phuntsho
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Our future sovereignty as a nation-state will continue to depend upon the articulation of a cultural imperative that asserts our distinctive Bhutanese identity.* Most Bhutanese would be familiar with the postulation that Bhutan’s survival as an independent nation rests...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By George van Driem
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here In 1812, the famous linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt wrote that the difference between nations is most clearly manifest in their languages. In 1856, August Pott wrote that language is the key trait defining nationhood. In 1987, Emil Cioran wrote...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Jason Hopper
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here “While a few may have succeeded to integrate the two seamlessly, thus having the best of both worlds, most modern Bhutanese are in a cultural limbo, having relinquished the old but not fully reached the new.” – The History...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Siok Sian Pek Dorji
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here At Singapore’s Changi international airport, a tourist from Delhi gets into a local yellow taxi for a ride into one of the city’s many luxurious hotels. Eager to learn more about the island nation known as a marvel of...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Bharat Bhushan
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here “Ind” or “Sindh-stan” was a Greek and Persian construct referring to the river Indus as a territorial marker. Historians tell us that it was only after the late 14th century that residents of India began to refer to India...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Kunda Dixit
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here “A yam between two stones” is how Nepal’s founding monarch, Prithvi Narayan Shah, described the unified kingdom he forged out of dozens of feuding Himalayan principalities in the 18th century. Even back then, it was evident to the king...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Lilly Yangchen
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here There is a totally different level of pride, perhaps the best kind, that I feel when I call myself Bhutanese. It is a beautiful feeling one gets when one thinks about the best thing in life. It makes us...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Karma Singye
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here “We Bhutanese are an endangered species,” my friend, the former Gelephu National Council Member, is fond of saying. He means that partly in jest. But, in many ways, I find that to be true indeed. In an increasingly complex...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Pema Seldon
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Being born in Bhutan is not enough for an individual to call himself or herself a Bhutanese. One has to have all the moral values and attitudes that make the Bhutanese distinct from any other people in the world....
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Dorji Wangchuk
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Strictly speaking, from a Buddhist philosophical point of view, the conception that “I” am Dorji Wangchuk or that Bhutan is “my” country would be a misconception or misconstruction. This is because although the historical Buddha himself seems to have...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Kezang Uden Penjor
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here I am a Bhutanese woman living abroad. Without trying to make the statement sound like an epiphany, I know my story is the story of many other Bhutanese women who have left our country deep in the mountains of...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Pem Namgyal
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here “Where are you from?” I am often asked. “Bhutan,” I reply. “Oh, the happy country?” That is what most people know of Bhutan. I’m pleased and also a little embarrassed at the same time. The aspiration of Gross National...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Needrup Zangpo
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Sixty-five-year-old Lopon Kunzang Thinley has been a researcher and writer for 31 years. He is the author of four dictionaries, including Bhutan’s first Dzongkha dictionary, and some 20 notable books. After passing out of the erstwhile Rigzhung Lobdra in...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Kinley Dorji
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Chimmi Dem, 57, is a Bhutanese farmer living in a village not far from Thimphu. This interview is extracted from my conversations with her. Q. What is life like in the village these days? ...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Karma Phuntsho
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here Sometime in the 10th month of Iron Hog year, 1731, Tenzin Chogyal, the prelate who later became the 10th Chief Abbot of Bhutan, offered a cup of fine tea before the physical remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the founder...
Spring Edition ,
May 24th, 2015
By Mark Mancall
You can download this Article as a PDF by clicking here This is a big book in every way: long, heavy, expensive, and content full. But far more than that, it is a big book because of the role it should, indeed must, play in the history of Bhutan itself....
A journal of Thought and Ideas