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

Abstract

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.