CAREER EDUCATION AND COUNSELING DIVISION (CECD):
This
Division implements comprehensive career guidance and
counseling program in schools to guide youth on career
opportunities and help them cope with the multitude of
issues that beset them. The Objectives of the Division are:
· To provide counseling services to students through the
establishment of a systematic guidance and counseling
program in all schools as an integral part of pastoral care.
· To assist students to
explore their potentials, limitations, aptitudes, skills and
achievements to help them understand themselves better and
thereby develop positive self-concept towards their life.
· Create awareness and
promote social recognition for technical-vocational skill
amongst students and develop elementary technical-vocational
skills amongst students through vocational club activities
· To create awareness to
students on career options and assist students in conducting
career research by providing information on high school
career options, course selection at plus two level, further
studies, scholarships and other selection procedures.
To
achieve the objectives, the following programs are
implemented under the Division:
Career
Education Program:
Under
this program, students are familiarized on career
opportunities in terms of training and higher studies
through provision of resource materials (print as well as
audio visuals), training of focal teachers and establishment
of career resource corners in schools. Biannual publication
of the newsletter “Looking ahead” to disseminate information
on career options and opportunities is a regular feature. In
collaboration with relevant agencies, a multi-sectoral task
force has been constituted to look into emerging youth
unemployment and opportunities. This program also
participates in the National level job fair.
Counseling
Program:
The
program provides professional support to schools to avail
basic counseling services through development of resource
materials, training and placement of focal teachers in
schools. Counseling services are also provided at the youth
centres. To date about 346 teachers have been trained in
basic counseling and placed in various schools.
Collaborative linkages have been established with relevant
partner organizations to address common issues (Bhutan
Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA), Youth Development Fund (YDF),
Psychiatry unit of JDWNRH, Narcotics and Psychotropic
Control unit of RBP, YDRC).
Vocational Education Program:
The
School-based Vocational Education (SBVE) program supports
and promote vocational activities through strengthening the
vocational clubs. Vocational training clubs in carpentry,
plumbing and electrical were introduced in 1999 in two lower
secondary schools and seven middle secondary schools. Later
the unit even supported weaving, tailoring and book binding
clubs. With 30 trained teachers, today 39 schools have SBVE
program.
To
make the clubs more interesting and offer alternatives to
students other vocational clubs like hair dressing,
photography, art and music are proposed to be introduced in
future.
School-based Parent Awareness Education Programme (SPEA):
This
program was introduced to create a forum where the parents
could share and learn from each other about child rearing
experiences, whereby hoping to address the emerging youth
issues in our rapidly changing society. This program is
also a link between the parents and the schools so that they
could work in collaboration for the benefit of the children.
Currently the program has been introduced in 112 schools
and various resource materials like the SPEA manual,
guidelines and audio visuals exists to assist the
implementation of the program.
SCOUTS AND CULTURE EDUCATION DIVISION (SCED):
Scouting
Programme was formally introduced in Bhutan in 1996. After
3 years , Bhutan became a member of the World Organization
of Scouting Movement (WOSM). The scouting program supports
the wholesome development of our students through meaningful
integration of values, scout promise and law. The
program caters to the needs of young people through
numerous youth activities that focuses on helping them to
develop personal values to pursue excellence and positive
attitude towards life. The main objectives are:
-
Contribute towards the development of young people to
achieve their full potentials as responsible
citizen .
- To
inculcate team spirit and creative skills in relation to
environment, social and civic
responsibilities.
- To
develop leadership capabilities in students through outdoor
educational and experimental
learning activities.
- To
promote true understanding of nature and educate youth on
social , spiritual and cultural values.
Scouting exists in all the schools and currently there are
more than 20,000 registered scouts in Bhutan. The Scouts
program is graded to suit the physical and psychological
needs of the young people of different age groups and is
categorized into three sub programs: (Cub, Scout, Rover)
Cub
Program:
The Cub section program is for
the children aged between 6-12 years and is tailored for
students in Primary Schools. The program emphasizes on
knowing their immediate environment and themselves through
play-way method based on Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle book
(First edition of Cub-masters).
Scout Program:
Scout section program targets
students between the ages of 13 – 17 years. It is focused
on citizenship building based on a disciplinarian way of
life which is also governed by the Scout Law and the
Promise.
Rover Program:
The program is for students and
youths who are between 18-25 years old and is usually for
students in class XI and above. It also includes college
students in tertiary institutes. Rovers take delight and
satisfaction in tough jobs and heavy responsibilities and
are involved more in community services and development
projects. As such the Rover program is geared towards
preparing for the world of work and volunteerism service.
Training of Scout Leaders:
For effective
implementation of the Scout program in schools, training of
scout leaders through various levels of advancement training
schemes is carried out on a continual process. Such
training courses begin with the Basic Health Leaders
Training (BULT), which progresses on to the Woodbadge Leader
Training. Further
advancement is achieved through the Assistant
leaders Training (ALT) and finally the Leaders Training.
In addition to the scouting
activities in schools, the Division organizes many forums
and camps for scouts to exchange ideas, promote friendship
and strengthen cultural bond. Such camps are called
Camporee (Cubs), Jamboree (Scouts) and Rover Moot (Rovers).
Further to support and compliment the scouting program, the
Division also undertakes the following program:
Community Scouting Program:
After
the Rover Program, the next opportunity is Community
Scouting in which the community could be involved in
Scouting programme. These programmes are implemented
through various activities and training conducted both for
youth and the adults.
Youth
Exchange Program:
Under
this program many regular and also ad-hoc youth exchange
programs are organized and coordinated to familiarize and
expose youth to different culture and promote international
understanding. Such exchange programs provide our youth a
platform to develop team spirit and cooperation for
promotion of international peace.
Culture Education Program:
Choedshay or spiritual and moral education has been
introduced in schools in collaboration with central and
district level monk body. Besides Choedshay, the Cultural
Education on national etiquette and practice is also
promoted. This program is conducted through a Comprehensive
Culture Education guideline developed for the different
levels of schools children.
GAMES AND SPORTS DIVISION (GSD):
The
Games and Sports Division was established in the year 2000
to promote and strengthen games and sports in schools to
foster mass participation for healthy lifestyle and also
provide students with an opportunity to explore their
talents. The Division has now shifted its main focus toward
mass participation to build a foundation for sports and
physical activities in schools without undermining
competition and performance. Hence the philosophy of GSD is
now based on “education through sports” and today the
programs of GSD are centered on this ideal. The main
objectives of the Division are:
· To promote games and sports a part of the schooling
system to help young people perform better academically and
also to improve the quality of their life through promotion
of healthy lifestyle.
· To impart values through
sports by bringing children together to inculcate in them
team spirit, discipline and dignity in participation.
· Promote and encourage mass
participation of students to keep them meaningfully occupied
in sporting and physical activities.
· To explore and promote
inherent talent in youth to pursue excellence in sports.
· To provide equal access and
opportunity for sports to all children irrespective of
gender and including children with special needs.
The activities of the Division
are implemented through the following programs:
Cluster
based, Divisional and Seasonal School Sports:
This program is designed to ensure mass participation and
provide opportunity to each and every individual through an
organization of sporting activities based on the age and
size of the students (divisions), proximity of schools to
each other (clusters) and carrying out the sporting
activities as per a fixed sports calendar (seasonal). To
this effect the Division prepares a guideline for sports
administrators on the annual school sport program and
circulates this soon after the commencement of the school
season.
Sports Leadership Courses for
teacher trainees and in service teachers:
In
order for schools to carry out effective implementation of
sporting activities in schools, it is imperative to have a
full time sports teacher. In the absence of full time sport
personnel, the Division conducts regular training courses on
games and sports for in service as well as final year
trainee teachers at the two colleges of school education.
These trained teachers act as the focal teachers and
implement the sporting activities in their respective
schools.
Winter
youth sports and coaching programs:
Winter
is the time when students are on vacation and the division
conducts regular coaching camps in different sporting
disciplines as well as tournaments for the benefit of
students and other young people. These programs are carried
out in collaboration with the Sport Federations in urban
areas with sizeable youth population and help in keeping the
youth away from anti social activities
Traditional Archery:
This
event is organized annually between the Higher Secondary
Schools to promote and popularize our national game.
Regional
School Sports Meet:
This program is
conducted to promote the spirit of competitiveness in sports
among the schools in the different regions. Participating
students from schools in the regional meet are first
selected at the district level and these selected students
compete with each other at the regional sports meet. This
event is necessary to recognize students with talents for
further enhancement
of
their potential
through the sport federations and also encourage students as
a rewarding system for their participation.
COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL HEALTH
PROGRAM (CSHP):
The
Comprehensive School Health program caters to the overall
well being of students through promotion and provision of
hygiene, sanitation and clean drinking water facilities. It
supports health programs in schools through advocacy and
awareness on emerging health issues like sexually
transmitted infections (STI), Adolescence Reproductive
Health (ARH), HIV/AIDS, Substance abuse, hygiene and
nutrition. The Program was launched in 1998 as a cross-sectoral
collaboration between the then Department of Helath and
Department of Education. Today it still remains a joint
venture, with the Ministry of Education taking the lead role
while the technical expertise is provided by the Ministry of
Health. The program has been working towards improving and
sustaining the holistic health and education of children
contributing towards quality and wholesome education.
The
objectives of the program are:
· Formulate health-related
school policies
· Provide health services in
the schools
· Provide health education
in the schools
· Promote a safe &
supportive environment
· Work in partnership with
the community.
The program is implemented
through the following components:
School Health Services:
The School Health Services in
the form of general appraisal (visual, dental & hearing
screening, growth monitoring and development) and first line
treatment (like de-worming, iron & Vitamin A supplementation
& treatment of minor ailments & wounds) are provided in the
schools. The provision of safe drinking water and adequate
hygiene & sanitation facilities in the schools are also
addressed through the services.
Healthy
School Environment:
This involves making the school
healthy in its physical surroundings as well as the
psychological climate and culture of the school. The
physical environment include the school building, area
surrounding it, adequate water supply and sanitation,
physical conditions such as noise and lighting.
The psychological environment
include the physical, emotional, and social conditions that
affect the well being of students like bullying, eve teasing
and absence of positive regard and lack of recognition by
teachers. Three priority areas for action have been
identified: building a sense of security and trust,
enhancing skills and opportunities for communication and
social connectedness, and building a sense of positive
regard through valued participation in schools.
Further, the program urges
schools to try and build effective links between the
community and the school as positive interaction between the
school and the community is fundamental to the success and
sustainability of school-based health programs.
Health
Promotion:
This is realized through
advocacy and awareness on emerging youth health concerns
like adolescent reproductive health (period of adolescence,
unintended teenage pregnancy) STI, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse
and nutrition for both in school youth and out-of-school
youth. The observation of various World Health Days is one
way of raising awareness among our youth. It is hoped that
this will motivate our youth to maintain and improve their
health, prevent disease and reduce health related risk
behaviours.
In addition, the program
also explores ways of introducing skills based health
education so that our young people not only receive
knowledge but are also provided with skills to translate
this knowledge into practice. Therefore, while the focus for
the younger children will be on hygiene and sanitation,
children aged 12 and above will be provided with
information and skills on to the adoption of
health-promoting
habits such as healthy eating, risk-taking
behaviours associated with drug and alcohol use, HIV/STI
infection, unplanned pregnancy, violence and injury.
The program also assess,
review, integrate and develop appropriate health curricula
and supplementary teaching-learning materials.
The program conducts
training workshops for focal teachers in the different areas
of health services and health promotion. These teachers are
designated as the School Health Coordinators and are the
focal teachers in the schools. They carry out regular school
based advocacy and awareness programs on STI, HIV/AIDS,
substance abuse, Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH). They
also provide First Aid, health check ups, screenings and
coordinate provision of adequate toilets and safe drinking
water. Each school also has a School Health Committee and a
School Health Club.
The
program endeavours towards the successful implementation
of all of the above so that the result will lead to healthy
young people in a safe and supportive learning environment.
YOUTH CENTRES (YC):
Youth
related problems arising out of rapid population growth,
rural urban migration, unemployment and the school dropout
especially at the lower, middle and higher secondary levels
are on the increase every year. Such unhealthy trends create
potential environment for youth to be engaged in undesirable
habits like drug abuse, gang fights and juvenile
delinquencies. To address and minimize these youth related
issues, the Royal Government initiated the establishment of
Youth Centres.
Youth Centres are young
people’s space. Young people can relax in front of the TV or
internet, play games, listen to music, use the computers or
just sit around and hang out with friends. There are also a
host of other services like cheap hostel facilities,
library, cafeteria, convenient store, art and music.
Youth centres were
established to provide basic recreational, educational and
therapeutic services to youth and our Youth Centres
currently provide:
-
A positive, safe and
conducive environment for young people that is free from
alcohol and drugs.
-
Recreation and social activities, programs and projects
that meet the needs identified by young people.
-
Access to information,
counseling and referral for young people and their
families requiring support.
The
Department has established five youth centres in the
country, three in Thimphu (Dechencholing, Changjiji and
Swimming pool complex at Doebum lam) and one each in
Phuentsholing and Gelephu. Apart from the above services,
some of the specialized services offered at the youth
centres are:
Computer
course:
This
is one of the most popular services among the youth
particularly during the school vacation. It is a month long
computer course covering basic computing lessons on Word,
Excel, Power Point and Publisher for which a course fee of
Nu.500 is charged per individual.
Youth
Forums:
These
are special events organized on an ad-hoc and need based
basis for students as well as out of school youths. These
programs are thematic in nature and purely organized based
on the emerging needs of the youth.
EDUCATION MEDIA (EM):
The
Education Media Section began as a small audio-visual
support unit of CAPSD of the Department of Education in
1993. Though it is currently with the Department of Youth
and Sports yet the Education Media is a technical support
unit whose primary aim is to render media services and
support to the all the Departments and Divisions of the
Education Ministry. The objective of the Education Media is:
Produce quality educational and youth related TV programs
like teaching learning strategies in different subjects,
youth issues and sport programs.
To render technical back-up
support in the production of all types of educational
programs as and when requisitioned.
Provide monthly education news
magazines and bulletins by garnering all kinds of support
and contributions of the various departments and schools.
To
obtain maximum benefit, the Education Media can be used:
· To enrich the teaching and learning process through
broadcast of specialized or model lessons of select master
teachers.
· To foster closer links between schools and the
communities by providing news and information about
education and schools.
· To promote information and raise awareness on relevant
youth issues for the benefit of both youth and parents.
·
To keep teachers informed of the policies and events taking
place in the education sector and also facilitate sharing
and generation of ideas to improve practices.
