Tag line: A nation in gratitude and solidarity initiative by the education family

Yangyel Lhaden

Ministry of Education (MoE) launched Karinchhe Gyalyon Bangsum (KGB), an online platform on September 8, coinciding with International Literacy Day to thank and motivate the nation in its continued efforts to combat the pandemic.

It is a month programme initiated by the education family and organised by a group of teachers.

The poster of KGB says that everybody worked hard, The King, prime minister, health ministry, education ministry, organisations, private entities, frontliners from day one of the pandemic.

KGB is a platform where anybody can send their write-ups and messages in various genres—poetry, essay, stories, art, photography, songs, personalised cards, and short videos. The themes of expressions are opportunities, gratitude, resilience, responsibility, volunteerism, solidarity and unity.

Awareness about the initiative was made to the public on Spetember 3 through various social media platforms through posters and videos.

In first two days, KGB received more than 100 entries.

The entries can be send to their “Drukyul Education Family- group” on Facebook or email to kadrinche2020@gmail.com.

One of the entries; a poem by Gem Dorji Lepcha, student of Samtse Lower Secondary School reads:

My heart sings for De-Suups, police and my King.

Thank you frontline worker for working day and night

You all are fighters

You all are warriors

I am thankful to doctors

For saving the life

You are the protector

And you sacrifice your time

A teacher of Lobesa Primary School, Sonam Norbu, said that with this initiative the team planned to engage individuals meaningfully by creating theme wise projects and to motivate creative content creation by children.

In the opening statement of the launch, education minister, Jai Bir Rai said, “Adversity reveals character – 2020 revealed the character of the Bhutanese as a Nation. The audacity to challenge a global pandemic with solidarity, sacrifice and openness the new Bhutanese normal. While normal times gave us glimpses differences in position, gender and background, the new normal gave poetry of hope, compassion and equanimity.”