The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Inclusive education remains a priority in Bhutan to provide equitable and quality learning for all children.
Despite considerable progress, children with disabilities still face significant challenges accessing education, especially beyond the primary level.
When children with disabilities have access to quality early education, they are better prepared to enter school with greater confidence and readiness to learn.
The Bhutanese recently spoke with Pema Chogyal, who himself lives with low vision, and is a Program Officer of the Special Education Needs (SEN) Division under the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), to understand the current landscape, barriers, and the government’s roadmap to more inclusive schooling.
Despite Bhutan’s ongoing commitment to inclusive education, children with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers at nearly every level of the education system. While policies and plans exist on paper, implementation challenges persist, especially in infrastructure, teaching materials, and support systems.
When asked about the key challenges in accessing inclusive education at the school level, Pema Chogyal pointed to a wide range of issues, starting with infrastructure.
“Infrastructure accessibility remains a major issue, especially for children with physical difficulties,” he said. “There are also significant gaps in getting appropriate and specific teaching-learning materials for children with cognitive difficulties, multiple disabilities, and those who have autism spectrum.”
He added that students often lack access to basic tools needed for learning. “Getting accessible formats like Braille, digital formats for the references, and assistive devices and technology based on specific disability needs is still not easy in Bhutan,” he said.
When asked whether families and communities are also contributing factors to the challenge, Pema said, “Another layer of challenge comes from the home front. There is often inadequate support from parents and family due to a lack of awareness, economic challenges, and low literacy levels.”
Currently, Bhutan has 50 inclusive schools, including two special schools dedicated to children with more significant needs. However, out of the 6,355 persons with disabilities registered in the country, only 22.8 percent, just 1,455 children, are enrolled in school.
In addition, he pointed out that inclusive education does not receive the financial and strategic attention it deserves. “We continue to face challenges in getting adequate funding for inclusive education programmes and in securing priority in national development plans,” he said.
When asked what steps the MoESD is taking to promote inclusive education nationwide, Pema said that the ministry is taking a multifaceted approach, with both infrastructure and capacity-building at the core.
“Our plans include building and retrofitting school infrastructure to be more accessible and user-friendly for children with disabilities,” he said. “We also plan to establish more inclusive schools strategically and progressively across Dzongkhags and Thromdes.”
He added that building professional capacity is just as important as physical infrastructure. The ministry is enhancing capacity in inclusive education and support strategies among principals, DEOs, teachers, and other stakeholders. This includes training on inclusive education, assessment, support, and intervention strategies in both schools and ECCD settings.
Further, Pema said that the ministry is working toward establishing inclusive education and special resource centres and ensuring children have access to assistive devices, accessible learning materials, and alternative learning pathways. “We are also focusing on skills-based programmes, pre-vocational programmes, and continual awareness and advocacy efforts,” he said.
When asked about the limited access to higher education for students with disabilities, Pema acknowledged that while some students have made it to college, they do so by competing under the same criteria as general students, without any policy-based support.
“Some students with disabilities, especially those with vision impairment, have been getting enrolled into colleges,” he said. “But they are enrolled solely on attaining competition in marks with general students, not through any form of concession or policy consideration.”
He pointed out that major institutions like the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB), and other tertiary institutes still lack inclusive access plans.
“They need to adopt an inclusive and special education access scheme that supports learners with diverse needs,” he said. “This includes course adaptations, reasonable accommodations across different disciplines, building awareness and capacity among faculty members, establishing relevant services, and making infrastructure accessible for all learners.”
Pema shared that MoESD is sensitizing, advocating, and discussing greater access to tertiary education opportunities for learners with disabilities and diverse needs.
Inclusive education in Bhutan remains a work in progress, shaped by both structural limitations and societal challenges. While there is a strong foundation through policies and programs, real progress depends on removing barriers that continue to affect children with disabilities, from inaccessible infrastructure and lack of adaptive learning materials to limited parental awareness and economic hardships.
