MoE keeping teachers and students engaged during summer break

The education ministry has initiated several programs to engage students and teachers during the month long summer vacations, which began this week.

To engage the teachers during the vacation a 5-day EEC (English for Effective Communication) programme will be held for 155 teachers in 50 centres spread across the country.

The Chief Programme Officer of the TPSD, Tashi Lhamo, said, “More than half a century into modern Education, we are still dealing with the reality of relatively low English proficiency of teachers and students” she said adding that recent studies have indicated that the standard of English language has not been impressive though there is a general consensus that Bhutanese students English is good. “Many studies by institutions and individuals revealed relatively low English proficiency of both teachers and students.”

During the programme, teachers will be provided a folder that contains learning materials for 52 weeks, where each week teachers open a folder to work on the activities given. “With this programme the Ministry of Education hopes to build a teaching community that is not only highly knowledgeable in its respective disciplines but also possess excellent communication skills so that students acquire these skills in school and take these to the world of work,” she said.

The programme is expected to give teachers a clear understanding of what effective communication skills mean and how these skills are important for effective teaching and learning and meaningful social interactions and relationships. “It is expected that all teachers, irrespective of the subjects they teach, will model verbal and nonverbal communication techniques in English with students, parents and members of the community to foster quality learning, supportive interaction, and meaningful relationships.”

For the students, the youth volunteer group initiated by the Department of Youth and Sports will be engaging student volunteers in various activities like cleaning campaign, recreational and educational activities for the students all across the country. The department will also be conducting youth volunteer exchange program from 17th till 19th of July at Damphu, Chirang for 77 youth.