Thinley Namgay
Project-based learning (PBL), an innovative educational approach supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has been successfully piloted in three schools in Chukha—Chukha Central School (CS), Gedu Higher Secondary School (HSS), and Pakshikha CS.
The status of PBL was discussed during a day-long symposium on transformative educational initiatives, attended by 32 teachers and educators, to explore the potential of PBL for Gross National Happiness (GNH).
Introduced in Bhutan in 2021, PBL encourages students to engage with societal challenges, fostering essential life skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.
The model empowers students to identify local issues, interact with their community, and develop actionable solutions, offering a more engaging learning experience compared to traditional classroom settings.
At Chukha CS, students have created a canteen that sells products made from local vegetables to support local farmers who struggle to find buyers. Meanwhile, Gedu HSS and Pakshikha CS focus on waste management, collecting plastic waste and selling it to dealers, in a bid to tackle environmental concerns.
JICA volunteers are assisting these schools in implementing their projects.
Although these three schools are still in the early stages of their PBL journeys, both students and teachers are already seeing positive changes in their communities.
Chukha CS’s PBL co-ordinator and teacher, Damber Tamang, said that this learning method provides important life skills for students, such as communication, teamwork, and marketing.
His students are currently helping local farmers, particularly those struggling to sell their potato harvests.
However, he said that PBL is not yet part of the official curriculum, which limits the time they can dedicate to it.
Pakshikha CS’s PBL co-ordinator and teacher, Lhatu, highlighted the challenges of waste management, mentioning that students often have to work even on weekends. He emphasised the need for support from relevant agencies, such as training and financial assistance, to make PBL more impactful.
The PBL model is inspired by a successful community revitalisation project in Ama-town, a small island in Shimane, Japan, which has since been widely adopted throughout Japan.
According to JICA officials, PBL has the potential to address pressing issues such as rural-to-urban migration, unemployment, and rural sustainability.
Ama-town in Japan is a self-sustained community, largely due to PBL initiatives. Notable outcomes in Ama-town include tackling marine debris problems and reducing money outflow by installing solar panels on school rooftops.
Colleges in Japan now actively recruit students from Ama-town due to their substantive PBL knowledge and career focus.
Officials from the Ministry of Education and Skills Development said that, in addition to benefiting students, PBL has the potential to transform teaching practices, guiding educators toward more student-centered learning approaches.
Participants believe that PBL could play a significant role in fostering GNH through initiatives in environmental conservation, cultural preservation and promotion, psychological well-being, health, and time management, among others.
JICA’s chief representative, Tomoyuki Yamada, said that one of the priorities of GNH is to ensure equitable and quality education. “PBL will facilitate that,” he said.
JICA plans to collaborate with the education ministry to introduce PBL in the eastern part of the country.