KP Sharma

Thimphu thromde education office and relevant stakeholders are stepping up with appropriate solutions to address disciplinary issues of students, especially the mass brawls.

The measures are put in place to minimise the students coming into conflict with the law as mass brawls became an issue among the school-going children last year.

Relevant agencies like the police, NCWC, Nazhoen Lamtoen, and officials from the ministry have come up with an immediate intervention to the issue.

Thromde education officials started the situation analysis survey of students with the help of school counsellors to understand the issues among the students.

The official said that by July 2022, all the students were covered in a situation analysis survey which helped the schools and stakeholders understand the reasons of disciplinary issues like mass brawls.




The schools now have school-based action plans for effective management and implementation of planned programmes and activities, the official said.

The police started various advocacy programmes to create awareness of crime-related issues. The school counsellors provide psycho-social support to the students who are in need and deemed necessary.

“We don’t have counsellors in some schools, mostly in private schools,” said the official.

It is learnt that those schools without counsellors have appointed focal teachers to render necessary support to students.




“There is also a greater collaboration of parents and schools in helping the children have a conducive environment for learning through a parenting education programme,” the official said.

The mentor-mentee programme, where a group of children are monitored by a teacher was prioritised by schools with the aim to help students seek guidance and support.

Some schools also initiated the ‘Know Your Child’ programme to know more about individual students.

All these programmes, according to the official, are in place to help students and render necessary support to help them cope with diverse situations in their life.




He said that with the implementation of these interventions across the schools, the discipline issues had dropped.

Sources said that students who were involved in disciplinary issues last year had problems related to socio-economic background, divorce, and lack of parental care and time which forced them to involve in unhealthy activities.

The education office said that they have requested more certified counsellors in schools to provide better guidance and support to the students.