Positioning of Ethnic Language and Culture Education in the School Education System in the Multilingual Country Bhutan: The Teachers’ Views

Abstract

This study aims to identify how school teachers recognize the problem of positioning minority languages and cultures in school education in Bhutan, a multilingual country.

In the sixty years since general education was introduced in Bhutan, the government has totally rejected incorporation of the languages and cultures of the 19 ethnic minorities in Bhutan into school education. The government has strengthened the policy of “One People, One Nation” by providing education that teaches only the Bhutanese national language Dzongkha, the teaching language English and the mainstream ethnic culture Tibetan culture, with the purpose of making the national language a pillar of national identity.

In this study, three types of survey were conducted: (1) a questionnaire survey of 115 active teachers, (2) an interview with a teacher and his family who were transferred to a minority ethnic district, and (3) discussion with four university students who aimed to become teachers. By integrating the results of the surveys, the research aims to clarify what present and prospective teachers think about the current education system.