Routledge Education and Society in Bhutan: Tradition and modernisation (Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series)

Bhutan's education sector has attracted international attention for recent reforms driven by the national development philosophy of Gross National Happiness, which aspires to balance change with the continuity of tradition. This book traces the history of education in Bhutan and reveals that, as the country has modernised and become globally connected and further influenced by international and Western mores, tensions have emerged across the education sector. The author examines how these tensions between the curriculum and local knowledges can impact teaching and learning, and offers approaches to addressing them. Based on extensive empirical data, including in-depth interviews and classroom observations, Robles analyzes the discourses of high-level officials who were involved in the early development of the modern system of education, a range of education leaders, and teachers. Filling a gap in the literature, this book is an invaluable resource for students and researchers interested in the formation of education policy, social and political reform in Bhutan, and South Asia Studies. Review "Pastoral care in Bhutanese education has been a subordinate dimension of Bhutanese school life. Certainly from my reading, Robles’ account indicates that despite growing difficulties with student disaffection, especially in secondary education, pastoral care remains a poor relation to curriculum priorities." Giles Barrow, Pastoral Care in Education, An International Journal of Personal, Social and Emotional Development About the Author Chelsea M. Robles is a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan. Her work focuses on education policy and practice.