KP Sharma

As part of the educational transformation in the country, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development has revised the Dzongkha curriculum for Classes IX to XII.

However, only Classes IX and XI are studying the revised curriculum currently. Classes X and XII will adopt the change next year.

To keep Dzongkha aligned with contemporary needs and enhance its quality, the ministry conducted a curriculum standard review in 2021.

A review report recommended standardising and enhancing the Dzongkha curriculum by including value-based stories and poetry to help students acquire various skills.

In addition, the curriculum will incorporate choekye (classical Bhutanese writing), review content, and adapt it to technology-based learning. Unlike the English curriculum, the Dzongkha curriculum is also designed to include cultural elements.

Further, the curriculum review revealed that Dzongkha should not only focus on content but also equip students with skills and include value education for a broader learning experience.

The revised curriculum aims to make Dzongkha interesting and appealing while promoting value-based education and preserving culture and tradition.

The curriculum, so, includes ancient literature, biographies of popular figures, words and spellings, choekay, grammar, and literature.

Most of the literature and poetry components now included in the revised curriculum existed in the past but were removed for various reasons.

As per the new curriculum, Class IX students now study writing, spellings, essays, poetry, biographies, letter writing, and Gyelsa Laglen in both chokye and language.

Among the biographies, Classes IX and X students will be taught the popular biography “Khandu Drowa Zangmo.

The Class XI and XII students will study essay writing, poetry, Sheytring and the biography of Ashi Nangsa.

Some teachers reported difficulties among students due to a lack of foundational knowledge, especially in choekye and other linguistic structures.

“Although it is beneficial to include ancient literature, the lack of basic knowledge sometimes demotivates students,” a teacher said.

Some teachers are of the view that the review committee should have conducted more consultations to gather sufficient feedback for meaningful changes.