Teacher Understanding of the Educating for Gross National Happiness Initiative

Sherab, Kezang; Maxwell, Thomas W; Cooksey, Ray

doi:10.1007/978-981-10-1649-3_10

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…However, the EGNH pathways had limitations imposed by the rigidity of the centrally prescribed curriculum, weak collaboration between the teacher training institutions and school education administrators, inconsistencies of professional development communities, and a puny research culture to study its impacts and progress. It was also observed that EGNH received criticism for its limitations in teaching science and vocational subjects, as teachers found it challenging to incorporate GNH values into these subjects or in all subjects [41]. Another factor that hindered the implementation of EGNH was a lack of adequate pedagogical and resource support.…”

Section: Findings From Documentary Reviews On Instrument Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards an Inclusive Education Policy for Sustainability: Advancing the ‘Educating for Gross National Happiness’ Initiative in Bhutan

Wangdi,

Boossabong

2024

Sustainability

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Education policies are often critiqued for short-sightedness and increasingly contended for their unsustainability. In the face of a bipolar characterisation of educational goals for economic utilitarianism and humanism with spiritual gratification, this study examines Bhutan’s Educating for Gross National Happiness (EGNH) as a policy tool. Aiming to understand whether EGNH is an inclusive, holistic, and sustainable policy instrument, this study pivots on coalesced methodological approaches of deliberative policy analysis, documentary policy reviews, and comparative policy analysis. The research design included examining the effectiveness and sustainability of the EGNH initiative through the lens of policy design. The main findings reveal that external and internal factors such as foreign policy influences, inconsistent internal policy interventions, interferences by party politics, weak policy coherence, and a lack of a comprehensive policy framework are the principal reasons for unsustainable policy gaps. This study offers valuable insights with a proposal for a comprehensive and dynamic framework to shape the future of education in the spirit of sustainability.

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Section: Findings From Documentary Reviews On Instrument Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards an Inclusive Education Policy for Sustainability: Advancing the ‘Educating for Gross National Happiness’ Initiative in Bhutan

Wangdi,

Boossabong

2024

Sustainability

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“…As in most countries, bullying and discrimination by peers and/or teachers is common in Bhutanese schools and colleges (including monastic schools and colleges), despite the country's adherence to a guiding philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) (Choden et al, 2019;Sherab et al, 2019;Sherab & Schuelka;. Bullying and discrimination arise in a complex mix of individual, family, school, cultural and religious factors, as well as gender, poverty, marginalisation, and (dis)ability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bullying can be physical, verbal, emotional and sexual in nature, and involve spreading rumours, exclusion from activities and services, and be direct or via social media and other internet platforms (Duncan, 2010;Swearer & Hyme, 2015;UNICEF, 2022). In the Bhutanese context, prior studies have shown that both school and college students were often rebuked, reprimanded, and criticised in the classrooms during teaching-learning processes (Sherab, 2013;Sherab & Schuelka, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incompatible with Happiness: Results from Second Survey of Bullying and Discrimination Experiences of Bhutanese Higher Education Students

Sherab,

Choden,

Howard

2024

EIP

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Bhutan is known to the outside world as a nation with Gross National Happiness (GNH) as its goal, a concept which is fundamentally underpinned by Buddhist philosophy of loving-kindness, compassion, emphatic joy, and equanimity. In Buddhism these are referred to as the four immeasurable qualities that one must cultivate to become kind, compassionate, and caring towards all living beings, and ultimately generates happiness. This concept as applied should lead to minimal or no instances of bullying and discrimination in such a society and in particular in educational institutions. However, prior studies as well as media reports have shown that there are growing instances of bullying and discrimination amongst both school and higher education students, and staff which is a cause of concern for a GNH nation. Such school experiences are likely to be transferred to higher education institutions and then later to the work places. Bullying and discrimination are often associated with negative outcomes and impacts overall mental well-being of students which can be detrimental to their later life. Therefore, this quantitative study was designed to understand the current level of bullying and discrimination amongst students (N= <10,000) of higher education institutions (n= 15) in Bhutan through a self-administered on-line survey to a representative sample of 1652 (male= 41.3%; female= 57.7% & others= 1%). Essentially, the reported prevalence of being bullied reduced (from about 45% in 2016 to about 36% in 2023), and likewise the reported prevalence of bullying others declined(from 18% to about 10%). There was also a slight reduction for those reporting some form of discrimination; from 51% from 46%. The preliminary findings from the study will provide insights into the current state of bullying and discrimination prevalent in the higher education institutions and make a case for more effective interventions to reduce prevalence of bullying and discrimination in schools and colleges, and, more broadly, the community.

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Action-oriented approaches to teaching environmental science in Bhutanese secondary schools: Stakeholder perceptions

Mongar

Quinn

Elliott

2023

The Journal of Environmental Education

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Teacher Understanding of the Educating for Gross National Happiness Initiative

Cited by 6 publications

References 7 publications

Towards an Inclusive Education Policy for Sustainability: Advancing the ‘Educating for Gross National Happiness’ Initiative in Bhutan

Towards an Inclusive Education Policy for Sustainability: Advancing the ‘Educating for Gross National Happiness’ Initiative in Bhutan

Incompatible with Happiness: Results from Second Survey of Bullying and Discrimination Experiences of Bhutanese Higher Education Students

Action-oriented approaches to teaching environmental science in Bhutanese secondary schools: Stakeholder perceptions

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