…inconsistent policies over several years have pushed private schools to the brink of closure

KP Sharma

What was once a vibrant sector, the private schools in the country now teeter on the brink of closure—thanks to a whirlwind of policy changes.

Inconsistent policies introduced by successives governments have undermined the stability of private schools, leading to closure of many schools and creating an increasingly more challenging business environment for those surviving.

The number of private higher secondary schools has plummeted from 21 to just four in the recent years.

Private schools took a major hit particularly when the previous Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) government removed the class X cut-off point in 2019. But private school representatives argue that DNT’s policy was the proverbial last nail on the coffin but not the sole factor leading to their current crisis. 

They point out that the problem is much deeper, with the successive governments not only ignoring private schools but also competing with their ideas—making sustainability even more challenging.

The private school’s trouble hieghtened when the second government introduced the central school programme, which halved private school enrollment from 10,000 to 5,000 students.

And by the time DNT came to power, it could easily absorb the remaining 5,000 students in public schools by 2022.

These policy shifts have triggered  closure of several private schools while others have pivoted to offering primary classes to survive.

Private school representatives claim that the removal of cut-off points has also contributed to a decline in educational standards, with students scoring as low as 35 percent now admitted into overcrowded government schools without adequate academic support.

The overcrowding is particularly severe in urban areas. For example, Decencholing HSS in Thimphu Thromde now accommodates about 2,000 students. “For the government to improve the situation, it would have to build dozens of new schools at a high cost and recruit more teachers, who are already in short supply,” the representative said.

To mitigate these challenges, private schools had proposed a voucher system, which would allow students to receive government subsidies for attending private schools. This, they said, could alleviate the overcrowding in public schools.

Despite this, there has been little progress on this front, with significant government spending directed toward new constructions rather than supporting the private schools. “The government would rather spend Nu 100 million on wasteful construction than invest even Nu 10 million in the private sector,” the representative said.

Private schools also worry that strengthening central schools could draw more students away from private schools due to their large capacities and boarding facilities.

The representative suggested that private schools need not compete directly with government schools and could instead focus on offering unique programmes like music, sports, or arts.

The private schools are also dissatisfied with the government’s plans to open specialised schools, which they believe should have been left to private entities.

The representative said that private schools tried to collaborate with the previous government but failed, as it was focused on fulfilling its political pledges, which the representative claimed harmed both private schools and the education system.

During the summer parliamentary session, some Members of Parliament (MPs) proposed that the government purchase closed private school buildings to repurpose them into colleges for arts and humanities, addressing a gap left by existing institutions.

In addition, the National Council’s special committee for education has also recommended that the government revisit the 2012 Guidelines for Private Schools of Bhutan to address issues like fee structures and operational concerns.

The current government has yet to reveal detailed plans for private schools but has pledged to support their role in the education system by granting greater autonomy in management, curriculum design, and recruitment of foreign teachers.

Some closed schools have been acquired by the government for various purposes while others still remain unsold. Some owners are struggling to find buyers. Despite appeals to the government to purchase their schools in the past, they have not received a positive response.