Yangchen C Rinzin

Following concerns raised on the intake of Class XII students into the colleges, the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) is looking into the possibility of increasing intake in colleges, according to Vice Chancellor Nidup Dorji.

The Vice Chancellor said that the government had directed RUB to find ways to take in more students.

Admission in all the colleges has completed, however, nothing is definite as of now.

“We’re just in the process of talking with the colleges and trying to find if the respective colleges can increase the intake,” Nidup Dorji said. “But nothing is confirmed as of now.”

Only 3,567 of the 12,595 Class XII students qualified for further education were enrolled in the different colleges in 2021, according to the education ministry.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) issued a press release yesterday stating that the party is deeply concerned that the government was not prepared to address the situation.

The party alleged that the government worsened the situation by decreasing the intake of students in the colleges.

“While we acknowledge that the present situation is caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government could have been more prepared to mitigate the gravity of the situation,” the press release stated. “The government should have known better to prepare because it was not likely that borders would open anytime sooner.”

The party says that the government should have been well prepared because they were the first batch of students who were promoted to Class XI without a cut-off point.

The press release also stated that students who wished to continue further studies in the government and private colleges within the country were denied admission despite scoring 70 percent. The score otherwise fetched a college admission during the normal times, the party said.

PDP also questioned the government on the status of the Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) programme , which was taken over by the Prime Minister’s Office. “TVET would have been a viable option otherwise if the government was prepared.”

PDP said that the government could allow colleges to increase intake capacity and liaise with colleges and institutions abroad that have controlled the pandemic situation.

“The government should prepare the TVET to absorb students interested in the sector or organise engagement programmes while students wait for situations to become normal,” the press release stated.