Higher education
18 Nov 2010
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Short description of the higher education system
According to the draft Tertiary Education Policy (TEP), the categorization of levels of higher education in Bhutan is like many other countries in Asia and elsewhere in that it is mapped based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), which was formally approved by the UNESCO General Conference in 1997. Higher or tertiary education consists of professional and general programmes which are offered at different levels – diploma, degree, taught post-graduate – and via different modes of study – full-time, part-time, short duration and distance learning. Although degrees in research and PhDs are not offered at the moment, there are plans to offer them in the near future.
Tertiary education in Bhutan encompasses the following degree and diploma programmes, including undergraduate diploma programmes:
- Programmes that are largely theory-based and are intended to provide qualifications for entry to advanced research programmes and professions with high skills requirements.
- Programmes that are devoted to advanced studies and original research.
- Programmes that focus on practical technical or occupational skills for direct entry into the labour market.
Quality assurance and accreditation
The only university in the country, the Royal University of Bhutan, has its own quality assurance built into the system. Furthermore, the aim is for quality assurance to be carried out as envisaged in the draft Tertiary Education Policy. Universities will be subject to a five-yearly periodic university review undertaken by external reviewers, which will examine their quality assurance processes. The report of the review will be made available to the Registrar for Tertiary Education.
To facilitate the comparison of programmes, transfer of credits and sharing of modules and programmes, a Bhutan Qualifications Framework will be implemented by the Board within one year of its establishment. This framework will be used for all programmes subsequently developed within the country and will seek to provide a clear relationship between school, vocational and tertiary education.
Recent reforms
Higher education in Bhutan is in an embryonic stage, although over the years the nation has seen an increase in the quantity and quality of skilled professionals who were trained in India and elsewhere. Due to the increasing number of students going into higher education, as well as the growth of public and private colleges, the Ministry of Education, through the Department of Adult and Higher Education, has come up with a draft Tertiary Education Policy which will help to institute a system to coordinate, align and expedite development of the country’s tertiary education system.
Strategic objectives for Bhutan are to increase research, innovation and the use of new knowledge in all aspects of life in the country, to improve the system for disseminating and providing relevant information to persons requiring it and, lastly, to develop a culture of enquiry and investigation in society and in schools. A National Council for Research and Innovation will be established to achieve these objectives.
Source: Higher Education in the Kingdom of Bhutan (351 kB)
