tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post7289251893588334840..comments2024-03-15T23:22:14.482+06:00Comments on Dorji Wangchuk: Time for a paradigm shift in education?Dorji Wangchukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09413785867681123146noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-60783546783134311512014-12-16T13:42:08.179+06:002014-12-16T13:42:08.179+06:00Great information provided. I appreciate your work...Great information provided. I appreciate your work.<br /><a href="http://www.leadeducation.in/lead/oet-dentist.php" rel="nofollow">OET Coaching for Dentists</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11243401445539609585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-81134649981864584012009-02-04T17:05:00.000+06:002009-02-04T17:05:00.000+06:00Noooooo. There is no need. This is my personal b...Noooooo. There is no need. This is my personal blog where I just write my thoughts. It is different from my official or corporate functionsDorji Wangchukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09413785867681123146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-6091874332605101622009-02-04T16:20:00.000+06:002009-02-04T16:20:00.000+06:00Dear Dorji-san,Isn't it time to update your person...Dear Dorji-san,<BR/>Isn't it time to update your personal profile?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-34866817744636808072009-02-01T15:30:00.000+06:002009-02-01T15:30:00.000+06:00I think a teacher here has raised some good points...I think a teacher here has raised some good points. One another thing that could help to improve our education is show due regard/ respect (beyond our cultural etiquette) for our teachers/ professors. That is to make use of their expertise. In Bhutan we hardly see any lecturer/ professor of Sherubtse/ RBIT being interview by our media with regard to economics, politics, history, etc. Instead, advices of older persons or some senior civil servants (who are not the experts) are usually sought and reported. Thus, the professional status of the teachers in Bhutan remains high only in our books but not in everyday life.Opinionated Bhutanesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15659428617180999474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-63679766567654728182009-02-01T00:45:00.000+06:002009-02-01T00:45:00.000+06:00Yes, I agree that we have a dynamic secretary and,...Yes, I agree that we have a dynamic secretary and, of course, a minister who understands the passion and pain of teaching. I am quite confident that they will not be fooled by people who love to seek 'comfort zones.'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-6939524162735946772009-01-31T20:42:00.000+06:002009-01-31T20:42:00.000+06:00So everything is boiling down to simple issues lik...So everything is boiling down to simple issues like motivation and incentives which would not be possible if Education remains within the bureaucracy.<BR/><BR/>Being defensive is a natural human reaction to external forces. In case of us Bhutanese we are even more. No wonder certain things are forced upon us. Things like democracy.<BR/><BR/>Honestly I have high hopes in the current secretary and minister who are not only dyanamic in their own ways but are also receptive of ideas and views of others. I only there are people feeding them with right ideas and not proposing "comfort zones" again.Dorji Wangchukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09413785867681123146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-16968640975423999602009-01-31T14:01:00.000+06:002009-01-31T14:01:00.000+06:00If the selection of teachers must change, the syst...If the selection of teachers must change, the system must change first. Like I mentioned in my earlier posted comment, we need intelligent, dynamic and forward looking people at the apex of the education system. It is only such people who will understand what 'change' is required in the system for long term positive impact on the quality of education. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps, why we don't get the best achievers into teaching is because the teaching profession is not as attractive (although the pay is equivalent to any other civil service job that people opt for). It involves hard work, sacrifices, role modelling, discipline, etc, therefore highly demanding of duty, responsibilities, ethics and commitment. You cannot afford to be absent at work, otherwise children will lose out. Whereas, in administrative type of civil service work people can get away with not attending office or not working despite being in office, as the effect is not so visible. If you have an output to deliver on a set deadline, you could still deliver it by finding time after office hours or during the weekend. A teacher has to follow the routine rigidly. S/he cannot habitually organize class after school hours because of his or her own carelessness. S/he has parents to answer for keeping their children back in school.<BR/><BR/>So, let's say we made the profession attractive by hiking the salary and adding allowances, incentives, awards. I would still say we cannot guarantee that the top achievers will make good or the best teachers. Like I mentioned in my earlier posted comment, you need 'passion' for the profession. You need to internalize the fact that it is a form of social service. You need to accept that you might have to make sacrifices. You need to be a disciplined worker. You need to be a role model. You need to maintain strong work ethics. Your performance as a teacher is in a way shown by the achievement of your students. Their good achievement means your good performance. Their failure means your failure. How many of us are prepared for all that?<BR/><BR/>My dear fellow citizens, taking up the teaching profession despite many other opportunities requires 'courage' more than money. Whereas, retention of good teachers requires support from the system. The teachers are not meant to be dumped in the schools to be left on their own to survive. That would be unfair.<BR/><BR/>I agree absolutely that we don't get top achievers as teachers but if we keep pointing fingers at the existing teachers, who are actually trying their best despite the odds, then how do we even make the most of what we already have? We are sometimes carried away by 'fad' and forget that we are a developing nation, by virtue of which we have certain realities that we must deal with first (while at the same time working towards the big future dream). Our current reality is that we have teachers who need support in the development of their capacity to teach efficiently and effectively. I see that as one of the priorities at the moment. No individual can rest assured of being competent for all times and at all places. Not even the top achievers. We all must continue to learn, even unlearn and also relearn. This is how literacy in the 21st century and beyond is defined by Alvin Toffler. And, of course, on the other end of the continuum of development for education would be 'reform of the system', whereby selection of teachers would also be taken care of. <BR/><BR/>But seriously, how are we even sure that teachers are to be blamed for the poor quality of education? It could be curriculum. Imagine doing ‘the ineffective’ efficiently. What would the result be? As Peter Drucker has said, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” Our teachers could be teaching that which is not relevant at all. Who knows? Or, it could even be lack of resources. Inadequate facilities. Poor school environment. Weak school leadership. Lack of supportive policy. <BR/><BR/>Whatever, I think as a system we’ve got to steer away from ‘business as usual’ and get down to charting activities only after we’ve identified the desired results (impact-effect-outcome-output). We cannot only think of the activities ‘we would like to do’ (the comfort zone) and then proudly report on the carried out activities as achievement, leaving nothing really to assess or evaluate. How can we then be in a position to explain why the quality of education is being questioned? We can only resort to being ‘defensive’ or accepting defeat and feeling frustrated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-75558238002962406232009-01-31T10:31:00.000+06:002009-01-31T10:31:00.000+06:00When you select your teachers from a pool of poor ...When you select your teachers from a pool of poor students, what do you expect? Most of our teachers are those who couldn't qualify for anything else. They didn't become teachers out of their conviction and interest in teaching - rather it was an easy fallback option. If they could they would have been something else. But that is not to say that we don't have bright dedicated teachers as well - only few and far between.<BR/><BR/>First of all we need to change the way teachers are selected. It has to be converted into a profession that is competitive and attractive. Teachers should be proud of their profession. But this will take time. In the meantime our children will suffer - I see no way out if we continue the status quo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-64741239618944926022009-01-29T11:02:00.000+06:002009-01-29T11:02:00.000+06:00You have some interesting write-ups. The fundament...You have some interesting write-ups. <BR/><BR/>The fundamental problem of Bhutanese education system is that in Bhutan all the unsuccessful students become teachers. This is in sharp contrast to other prosperous countries (say US, Japan, etc.) where usually the top students become teachers and professors.Opinionated Bhutanesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15659428617180999474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288366913526978753.post-70439418544609042552009-01-28T22:30:00.000+06:002009-01-28T22:30:00.000+06:00I believe we do have many dedicated and competent ...I believe we do have many dedicated and competent teachers, but adequate support from the system is necessary to motivate them to do their best. I believe intelligent, dynamic and forward looking people at the apex of the education system can make the required support happen. I believe the Education Bureaucrats and Politicians that can think education quite 'naturally' and understand what support our children and teachers need and know how that might be extended can add value to the system. 'Education' is a social service, therefore, certainly different from other sectors. We must realize this first, I feel. It is my opinion that only those with 'passion' for social service, besides competence, can lead education the right way. And, a system that understands the value of 'social service' and the sacrifices that go with it can motivate our teachers with deserved compensation for their services. The allowance for teachers is good news. But, the fact that no teacher received any national award this time, while others did, either shows that none of our teachers deserved it or we failed to recognize them. We have already begun our new era of a trasformed Bhutan by demotivating our teachers. Need we say more? <BR/><BR/>No amount of curriculum change in the name of relevance will make a difference if our teachers' morale is not boosted; and if their professional development is not given due share.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com