NEW DELHI
Science Education and Curriculum Reform in Bhutan
Science education in Bhutan started with a curriculum borrowed from its neighbour, India. In 1986 the ‘New Approach to Primary Education’ (NAPE) was launched, effectively seeking to orientate more firmly the primary science curriculum for Classes IV to VI to take account of the Bhutanese context and to promote the teaching of science based on Bhutanese natural and social environment.
It stressed the development of investigative skills through fair tests as opposed to a more traditional learning and memorising of scientific facts and figures.
There have been a number of attempts to renew the science curriculum since 1999. All these activities however occurred in piecemeal fashion, mainly to address the concerns and issues arising from the field at different times. One of the main problems is that the science curriculum as a whole is fragmented and lacks a sense of progression and science attainment benchmarks for different grades. There is also a general public perception that standards are falling and that the science curriculum does not prepare students for the world of work and for national citizenship.
Hence, a major curriculum reform from primary (Class IV) to higher secondary (Class XII), similar to ongoing literacy subjects has been proposed by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and is earmarked to be launched as part of the 10th Five Year Plan which commences in July 2008.
To launch this process, UNESCO has commissioned an in-depth need analysis study of science education in Bhutan. The key research questions that framed this study were:
The Key findings and recommendations can be found in the report.
Related Links
- Final Report
- Bhutan UN Newsletter
- UNESCO and Science Policy
- Source:UNESCO New Delhi
- 14-04-2009