Skip to main content

National Graduates Orientation 2009- anything new?

This year National Graduates Orientation Program is scheduled to take place from September 8 – 19, 2009 at Nazhoen Pelri Youth Development Centre. In fact the process starts much earlier. Verification of academic transcripts will commence from August 24 according to the press released from MoLHR. Graduates are required to bring in their original academic certificates. And they are to attend a briefing session September 7 morning.

The orientation is aimed to acquaint Bhutanese graduates (undergraduates) with our rich cultural heritage, government policies, laws, issues, to create awareness. It would be a time for the participants to interact and share ideas and concerns with other fellow mates. On the whole, time to reorient (if studied outside) with our rich culture and traditions.

I hope they put up a tsechu on the program. That could be a wonderful time for graduates to really see what happens at a tsechu very closely and with purpose. Talking about tsechu I always thought our mask dances were sacred and only performed during holy occasions, but there are mask dances performed for tourists these days. So, if you have no time to watch Thimphu tsechu live, join a group of tourist and watch it being performed by RAPA or Khuju Luyang. By the way, that’s none of my business. It is their business . But our graduates need to be taught to appreciate our traditions. Don't teach facts, teach them some values that could sustain throughout their lives.

According to some sources, this year more than 1800 graduates have registered. Now that is both good and bad news for Bhutan. Good because now more and more Bhutanese parents are sending their children to colleges abroad. That’s a sign that Bhutan is progressing. That’s a sign that now people can afford to give their sons and daughters good education. That’s a forecast of Bhutan’s future literacy. That’s a sign we are moving up by a few rungs on the GNH ladder.

Now why is it bad? Because media has given us enough hints about the unemployment issues in the country. We could be adding 1800 more people in the job market, and who would not be happy if the government gives jobs to all these job seekers. But if not, we would be simply adding a few hundreds to the streets and a proportionate number to drug issues and criminal activities. Our Government is helpless like any other governments in the face of such issues.

Competition is not an excuse. Neither is already clogged job market or lack of skill. If you cannot give them jobs, give them hope and don’t let their aspirations crumple. Telling them you care does not mean anything. Show how you care them through actions. It is a nightmare being jobless.

Happy Orientation to all my friends. Rather reorientation! Go watch some live tsechus!

Comments

Popular Posts

When they are ready

The Ministry of Education discovered 890 'underage' children admitted in schools across the country in 2019. Thus, the ministry in May 2019 issued a notification revoking the admission for these children.  Majority were in urban centres.  Desperate, parents and the affected schools requested the government to intervene. They also requested the government to consider lowering the enrolment age to five years.  Currently, in Bhutan a child can legally go to school only when s(he) is six years old.  And that policy was strictly followed a few years ago to the extent that some schools refused to admit children even if they were short of a few weeks. So, parents, mostly in urban areas, resorted to faking their children's ages. Many parents were guilty of adding years onto their children's actual ages. However, most parents, we are told, managed to correct their 'mistakes' later.  Faking a child's age was rampant...

The Vanishing Currency of a Bhutanese Village

Growing up in rural Bhutan, the richest people in the village often had very little cash. They were known as chukpo , 'the ones with cattle'. And no one asked how much money a person had in the bank. No one or only a countable few had bank accounts, anyway. Wealth was measured in fields, cattle, grains, and the ability to carry a family through the seasons. Cash existed, but it played only a small role. Most exchanges happened through barter. Rice for chillies, soya beans for Sichuan peppers, cheese for eggs. I still remember that a ball of homemade cheese was worth two fresh eggs. Nobody needed a calculator because people simply knew. The most remarkable part of the system was the exchange of labour. During sowing and planting seasons, families needed extra hands, yet labour was rarely paid in cash. If I spent three days helping on your farm, you spent three days helping on mine in return. No contract was needed to be signed. No money changed hands. Wealthier households so...

Community of Bhutanese Bloggers Conceived

And finally it happened. I must say that it was by far the most attended Bloggers Meet. In the past we had bloggers agree to attend and cancel at the very last minute. But on June 24, 2015 – almost 100% of bloggers, who confirmed came. I would like to thank everyone for keeping his/her words, especially those who had to come all the way from Wangdue or Paro. Thank you! 35 Bhutanese bloggers met in Thimphu. We were honored to have the presence of senior bloggers like Aue Yeshi Dorji and Dasho Sangay Khandu. The meeting assumed more significance because of their presence. Equally, we were happy to have many young bloggers in whom we see so much enthusiasm and potential. On top of many things that transpired during the Meet, one of the most significant outcomes was the unanimous decision reached to form a formal group of bloggers, a platform aimed at encouraging and inspiring more bloggers around the country. The members decided that we will call it Community of Bhutanese Blogger...