Placed at Samtengang CS, Wangdue Phodrang, reluctantly hurried my way to report to the school. It was 2:30pm after lunch. In about 1hour and 10 minutes I reached the school. I have to drive 35 Kms from Gaselo to Samtengang.
Waiting there was my old friend Sonam also a teacher of Samtengang whom I have to depend for logistics and others.
Fig:Class activity/group activity by class x students.Our students are not we. We call them digital natives. The possession of innate character remains in them but they also have the ability to acquire new knowledge and information through experience. Learning should not be restricted. Learning should be continuous and contagious with the provision of every facilities investing whatever it takes. So long as the intention is inclined towards learning, the capitalism on learning should not be considered as budget draining. We invest very little and yet we say our ministry is a big family.
Of the total budget each ministry receive annually, how about cutting 5% of budget sharing from other ministry to invest in our education? The infrastructural provision such as well equipped ICT facilities, teacher student ratio with enough and spacious classrooms are main changes we the educators like to embrace and feel. What it takes, if our leaders fails to execute in the implementation of plans and workouts even if 5% budget is shared. Are we not paid enough? Our leaders are they working with integrity or are they just a bunch of drainers in the name of service to nation? Let's ask ourselves. The minds after money is also one thing and to ask ourselves are we real dedicated Bhutanese is another for sure.
Background on Finland
Schooling Practices
Finland
classrooms may be unfamiliar to teachers, however, at age 6, children get the
opportunity to attend one year of government pre-primary school. More than 56 percent of the public and 52 percent of
teacher respondents (MoE, 2014) in the nationwide survey indicated that the
entry age for PP could be considered to 5 years. Our
students get enrolled at the tender age of 5 in pre-primary School. Class sizes
are limited to 20 and recommended to have no more than 12 students whereas in
our case, it solely depends upon either number of teachers or infrastructure
available to accommodate. At age seven, all students begin nine years of
mandatory basic education before entering secondary school for three years of
either vocational or general education. The Bhutanese students like in Finland
were given the opportunities to attend up to tenth grade in government provided
school. The Bhutanese school education system (MoE, 2014)
consists of seven years of primary education (PP-VI), including one year of
pre-primary, followed by four years of lower and middle secondary (VII-X), and
two years of higher secondary (XI-XII). Bhutan provides free basic education
from grade PP at the entry age of five till grade X.
Students with the highest grades and marks on the certificate
attend general education, while other students attend vocational school. Like
in Bhutan, all public education is free.
Students
are not sorted in different sections based on ability level; instead, all
students are considered same inside classroom with extra
tutor to support poor performing students (Grubb, 2007). Our students are loaded with class works and home works
thoroughly by different subject teachers similar to silos storing bulky mass of
grains. However, Finnish students will have only a half-hour of homework each
night and do not wear school uniforms. The system of wearing school
uniform in our case and the way of dressing as a students in our context help
identify who is who among teachers and students. This help identify the
students for assessing their outward fitness and etiquette.
Finnish
schools strictly focus on learning (Gamerman, 2008). School
learning consists of courses such as art, music, cooking, carpentry, and a long
recess period, along with the typical language, history, mathematics,
and science courses (Abrams, 2011). In our case, the Finnish courses mentioned
above are non-academic and non-curricular which are practiced as a part of
program during club hours. Limited
provision of vocational subjects in the schools does not support building
foundation in students for entry into Technical Training Institutions (MoE,
2014).
Teaching
is a highly respected and competitive profession, with only top 10% of
applicants accepted into teaching programs (Burridge, 2010; Finnish National
Board of Education, 2010). In the past, our educational institutions recruit
trainees every year based on the marks that they obtained in higher secondary
(key stage VI). All teachers have extensive master’s degrees, and are allowed
freedom in the classroom to choose textbooks and adapt a broad national
curriculum to their students’ individual needs. Finnish schools do not rank
students, so honor societies and valedictorians are nonexistent (Gamerman,
2008). The National Curriculum discourages competition, instead placing a focus
on the worthiness of learning and its values (Kasanen, Raty, & Snellman,
2003). In contradiction, Bhutanese educators’ (most of the schools) level with
ranking and award prizes and certificates to academic toppers to motivate the
high achievers and the low achievers are left as an audience without treatment.
Student Assessment in
Finland Vs Bhutan
The
National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2004 (Finnish National Board of
Education, 2004) divides classroom assessment into two categories: assessment
during the course and final assessment. Both are nationally mandated to align
with national criteria, but they serve different purposes. Formative assessment
within the classroom encourages student growth and self-assessment. In sum,
Finland’s assessment practices result in fewer formal assessments and fewer
pressures for teachers merely to prepare students for a narrow examination.
Formative Assessment
The
assessment system of Finland is based around improving instruction, and the
majority of the assessment is formative, or used to improve instruction and
learning. Ponder upon how our educational leaders pressurize teachers based on
the ranking developed by BBE with more than 70% based on how much they secured
during examinations. Assessment in Finland takes place in three grounds: within
classroom practices, as the final comprehensive assessment of student progress
at the culmination of basic education, and during the matriculation examination
to serve as a criterion for college admission. Further, the national curriculum
is evaluated through the help of an external evaluator and using data from a national
standardized assessment, and teachers and schools use self-evaluation to
improve education locally. It’s almost same in our case but the summative
assessment weighting is more weighed revealing the success of students must be
borne from how much marks students scored-rote learning invested and forgotten
once he/she is upgraded to next level.
Black
and Wiliam (1998) define formative assessment as “all those activities
undertaken by teachers, or students, which provide information to be used as
feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are
engaged” (p. 8). In Finland, the purpose of assessment is to guide and
encourage studying and self-assessment skills. Assessment measures a
combination of educational progress, work skills, and behavior (Finnish
National Board of Education, 2010). Classroom assessment practices in Finland
allow teachers to evaluate and change instruction based on student needs.
Within the classroom, teachers use formative assessment as well as summative assessment,
giving students exams created by the textbook company or by teacher’s
associations (Kupiainen et al., 2009). Numerical
grading is not used on these tests, but they are often marked with a scale of
“very good” to “needs practice.” In these situations, the results are
often not provided to students or parents, and instead used by the teacher for
planning. According to the Finnish National Board of
Education (2004), the role of assessment during courses is to “guide and
encourage studying and to depict how well the pupil has met the objectives
established for growth and learning” (p. 260). Thus, within the
classroom, frequent feedback is provided to students regarding their progress
through the curriculum. The Bhutanese assessment practice as mandated in the
assessment modalities by REC pronounce same under CFA modalities.
Behavior,
work skills, and content knowledge are all assessed on the basis of student and
teacher interactions, and communicated with parents regularly. Student growth and
progress are and study habits, as well
as the development of self-evaluation skills (Finnish National Board of
Education, 2010). Further, frequent formative assessment enables teachers to
identify students who struggle with particular topics and provide timely
intervention. The teacher or teacher assistant (could
be Lab Assistant in science subjects in our case) works with individual
students or small groups to help students with certain topics. The teacher assistants have been trained in a specific post-secondary
program to learn how to assist struggling students, and they work closely with
the classroom teacher. Formative classroom assessment also promotes student
self-evaluation.
Summative Assessment
The
purpose of the 1999 document was to establish equality across schools regarding
student placement in schools or programs after basic education. The more recent
National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (Finnish National Board of
Education, 2004) expands upon the earlier publication with criteria for
teachers to use in evaluating students. The final assessment of comprehensive
school can be considered high-stakes, as it determines whether students earn a
certificate of completion and can continue to secondary school. Compiled by the
main teacher for each subject, the final assessment is a portfolio containing
students’ yearly reports as well as diverse evidence of students’ work from
eighth and ninth grades (Kupiainen et al., 2009). The National Core Curriculum
requires the final assessment to be “nationally comparable and treat the pupils
equally” (p. 264). It must be aligned with national criteria for each subject,
showing that students have met the required objectives for the course. Test scores are not acceptable as the sole criteria for
assessment. Further, the final assessment
consists of both verbal comments and a numerical score on a scale of four to
ten, with an eight reflecting good performance, and a score of five showing an
adequate level of performance and allowing students to earn the certificate
of completion (Finnish National Board of Education, 2010). Students take a standardized matriculation examination upon
completion of secondary school and prior to entering a university, polytechnic,
or vocational school (Grubb, 2007; Ministry of Education and Culture,
2010). It is solely based on the marks secured through written examinations in
our case.
Evaluation of Teachers
and Schools
Finland
became largely decentralized, increasing local control and ending former
policies that structured the teacher’s workday and school evaluations. Instead
of using evaluation to control, the new system of evaluation involves self-assessment, respects diversity, and encourages growth
and improvement (Rinne et al., 2002). The former practice that is
nationally mandated to maintain minimum number of lessons that must be taught
in each subject is still prevalence. According to these
new evaluation standards, teachers and schools are not evaluated externally or
on the basis of student test scores. Although schools are evaluated, since 1998
the data has never been publicly linked to individual schools or teachers, so
neither schools nor teachers can be ranked (Simola et al., 2009). Students
take a national standardized assessment during the last year of basic
education, but these results are only used to assess the effectiveness of the
national curriculum. Schools perform a self-evaluation
once per year, and this evaluation can be made public. National standardized
assessment takes place once per year with a selected sample of ninth grade
students for the purpose of diagnosis and improvement of the national
curriculum. Each year, a sample of approximately 100 schools is selected
for national testing to evaluate the national curriculum. This standardized
mathematics assessment is administered and evaluated by the National Board of
Education (Kupiainen et al., 2009).
School test scores are kept confidential to avoid ranking schools or
teachers, and only national averages are released to the public (Valijarvi,
2004). The scores are used only to identify
widespread weaknesses in the Mid-Western nation’s educational system and to
improve the national policy or curriculum as needed (Grubb, 2007; von Zastrow,
2008). The decentralization of school is also one of the key criteria for the
improvement.
Cautions in Comparisons
Although
Finland’s success on the PISA has encouraged policy-makers in many countries to
analyze Finland’s educational system, a few cautions should be taken when
comparing the two countries. First, Finland does not
have a system for encouraging high achieving and gifted students within the
classroom (Burridge, 2010; Gamerman, 2008). Classes containing all
students of varying abilities may be helpful to struggling students but boring
to gifted students. Second, cultural differences among different countries may
mean other nations cannot implement Finland’s policies in the same way. Grubb
(2007) advises against replicating Finland’s entire educational system because
“some aspects of that nation’s politics and culture cannot be readily conveyed”
(p. 106). Finland’s reforms work with a small country
and a fairly homogenous population, and such reforms might be difficult to
implement in large countries with a large disparity in socioeconomic status and
immigrants. Further, Finland’s reforms extend beyond school, providing
free health care, meals, counseling, and higher education to all students,
hereby lessening some of the factors that negatively impact students’
performance in school. Third, Finland’s recent
international acclaim seems to be solely based on the PISA scores, as Finland
did not participate in any other international assessments. The PISA may
be a “friendly judge” for Finland, as the PISA assesses mathematical literacy
and the Finnish mathematical curriculum places a heavy emphasis on literacy and
application (Andrews & Sayers, 2006; Loveless, 2011, p. 4; Schleicher,
2009).
Concluding Thoughts
With
the attention that our country has directed at international assessments, some reflection
should be paid to the policies of high scoring nations. Although our country should not leap into educational policies mirroring
those of Finland, the differences in the countries’ policies are vivid. Finland
takes a definitive stance toward both summative and formative assessment in its
national curriculum. Our education system has also taken a definitive stance
toward national assessment, yet in the opposite direction. Whereas Finland sees
no need for high-stakes testing, our education system has pinned its hopes for
improving education on widespread testing through examinations. The Finnish National Curriculum has fostered a reassuring
environment for the development of teacher professionalism and expertise,
providing Finnish teachers with the freedom needed to make classroom and
assessment decisions. On the other hand, teachers in Bhutan are subjected to grueling
requirements regarding curriculum and assessment. After all, if Finland is able
to score high on international assessments with their policies, what does that
mean for the policies and examination oriented practices in Bhutanese education
system?
NB:
The critical review of this article is incomplete as I wanted to retain the
originality of the article which is why this article is still Raw. I am sharing for your reading
pleasure to ponder upon and relate it to our practices. Just for my
professional growth, otherwise it is as good as the untouched original article
for reference.
Let’s ask ourselves this question once asked by my tutor. Who taught us how to surf through social platforms viz. Facebook, Wechat, Instagram, Twitter etc… Educational priorities are most talked about like wild fire blazing and sweltering at its worst. The Royal Kasho deemed the experts and educational stakeholders to sail along with the change we are facing and we will face in the future. It is the circle of talk amongst all about the quality of education and every one of us from ministry to educational institutions to stakeholders and parents must held responsible and accountable in terms of its accomplishment.
Pandemic situation had
its fair share shattering our daily routine from normal course. Awestruck and
overwhelmed by the fact that every one of us must gear towards ICTising, the
lesson we must deliver to the student had its pace disrupting sluggishly. If
the digital world were human, it would have better known us individually how
pathetic we were that moment. The delivery of lesson to the students were
distorted with the fear of Covid-19. Even at its worst, the educationists
forgot the teaching and learning with anxiety and trauma injected by the
covid-19. Blinded and silenced by the fact that we are far away even from the
reach to grapple with the flow of ICT and its basics were an eyesore situation.
The simplest act of surfing through youtube tutorials on how to go about with
the online flipping classes could have impacted a lot for our students but to
no avail.
The glitches and the
hitches in the implementation of online was the biggest barriers that remained
in the heart of Bhutanese teacher during trying times of pandemic. The general
consideration that the people have in their minds to pick and corner teachers
alone was in its self the crime committed by us-the all responsible Bhutanese
citizens. The constant and instant guidelines and guidance otherwise would have
solved the issues with great sigh and smiles on the faces of digital
immigrants. To hinge onto who is not better equipped with the ICT knowledge was
another contributing factors creating confusion in the instructional delivery.
We committed lots of
sins (earlier) learning and perfecting ourselves to get along with social applications
nobody taught us. How did we fail to surf through online tutorials that time?
Were we mindful? Responsible? True to oneself and dedicated? The lesson could
have taught us way more effortlessly than in a less conscientious manner. There
were lots of shortcomings our teachers faced without ICT knowledge because we
didn’t accept the fact that we must unlearn. The selfish act that we
successfully learnt social apps and could not learn online instructional
delivering issues was the one of the biggest question that will earn the
Bhutanese a lot if we could answer.
The tincture left with
bitter experiences pertaining to how to go about online was good reminders.
Let’s place a bet. We talk about cost cutting measures and spell the echoing
tone of budget constraints. Of all the nosiest pollution, the budget issue is
one of the loopholes our leaders pronounce despite enough provisions and
lacking the execution to decipher strategically. Proper planning and execution
of works needs setting of aims and objectives.
Despite placing
everything in its place with the provisions, why the quality of education and
the system demands change? Our leaders according to their capabilities were
constantly offered leadership training and countless numbers of training in
building one’s own capabilities. Let me spell few training opportunities that I
could remember from few years that didn’t have any impact on our system but
were deemed necessary and offered to our leaders. To name few, 21st
century leadership training offered by i-Ed, GNH workshop, Immersion program
for central schools, annual educational conferences, 21st century Transformative
Pedagogy training, SIY are very few examples of trainings and opportunities
offered that was swallowed without even follow up and payback to our future
leaders. We are all leaders. What is wrong in the world?
The New Year heralded with the resolutions to end the year happily, if not, for it to end successfully. A jolt of nervousness shivered through my spine as to how I will brace myself for my research data collection. Being a novice researcher, a jerk of uneasy feelings kept preying on my mind as to how I would manage to have all my work done amidst other works. All eyes and ears were in its normalcy that the news of Covid-19 would not steal into a country like ours where peace and happiness take precedence. The greatest of moments, if I have to cherish in my life than ever, was when I had to gear up everything for the first ever admission of my son Rigzang in Samtse School. Everyone regards school life as a golden life, indeed a perfect temple of learning for the beginners. For the good beginning and endeavour of our son’s educational voyage, we visited one of the nearby lhakhangs to offer our sincerest prayers. The course of action began from next day onwards; Samtse Lower Secondary School welcomed all the new comers with Tashi khadhar. The Bhutanese believe that offering of Khaders reassures clarity of mind and human bonds. Of course, we did feast on tea and snacks afterwards. Well, to mention, Mrs. Choki Wangmo was his class teacher who was as tall as she may seem, to let all the students she teaches reach the same height as she attains.
Days passed and the hope to reach my son at school
was my first order of the day. Pema and Nima were his best friends. In the
school, usual course of activities unfurled. What an over spilling excitement my
heart had to feel when I see the students attending morning assembly every
morning, singing national anthem and praying to seek wisdom. How nostalgic was
I to witness the morning assembly as a father that traced me back to days I
attended morning assembly. Times and few weeks worn with wings, flew
effortlessly, with hubbub taking sometime time for me to settle. I almost
forgot my duty as a student to knit the fabric of task I was assigned, that was
to head towards few schools under Samtse Dzongkhag for Data collection. The
sensitisation and advocacy program in all the schools on the spread of Corona
Virus began sometime during the settled hours of mid of March. The principal,
teachers on duty and even I came across one Health staff delivering speech on
covid-19 in one of the assemblies. The Ministry of Health and Education was on
time to air and sensitize every citizen about the pandemic although that time the
tittle-tattle on covid-19 was on the rise and people least bothered about it.
The sheer excitement over my elder son’s enrolment
in school paled into insignificance a bit as I strained with my own share of
task to complete. And the fear of whether or not to I would be gather rich data
for my research concerned me rhythmically, the moment research presided over my
mind. However, overwhelmed by an immense joy, I started my journey for data
collection, yet deep within me a tinge of awkwardness kept chilling as I have
to soon intermingle with different people. After two weeks of data collection,
as scheduled, I reached home safely. It was a success story for me as I could
complete the data collection task on time. The next thing that bothered me the
most was when the news about the closure of schools and institutions buzzed
like bees across the corridors of the nation. During that moment, a mere notion
that preoccupied the minds of the teachers and students was that the closing
schools would be provisional. The students seemed confused and perplexed. What
is next? The mixed feelings over closure of schools and institutions were my
concern, how I will cope with the modules work plan and how students and
teacher will swing along with.
The Bhutanese way of expressing a little bit of a
frustration and fear started to gnaw deep within hearts when the first instance
of the tourist who visited Bhutan was identified with positive case. Each day,
as the Covid cases started to leapfrog and take heavy tolls on lives in the
world, it gripped the attention of millions and the cases became the
uncompromising subject of concern. Bhutan, despite her best crackdowns, the news
of ravages of pandemic cases that trespassed our frontier and caught the lives
of few Bhutanese, dashed the hopes of our nation. As one might expect, it was a
heavy cross for our Majesty to bear and a great mills of burden for our
government to go through. In the throes of pandemic, the wellbeing of every
single Bhutanese was what our Majesty and the government took in hands and placed
above all. As major preventive means, many community centres such as schools,
colleges and business centres were closed and locked down. In the centre like
schools, the classes were navigated through e-learning process and being aired
on the BBS, though in some way at its slowest pace, only to experience and get
stranded with poor network connectivity. So frantic and stimulating are the
ways, especially, when one has to learn as a student and to teach as a parent
to your son.
The heavy package of module started surging in thus
constricting the schedule of the life day by day. If it has not been for better
internet connectivity and the significant roles of parents at this crucial
hour, the online learning and e-learning may not have been as wonderful
opportunity as expected. Perhaps, I shouldn’t have considered learning myself as
per the demand of the 21st century teaching and learning. For instance, VLE (Virtual
Learning Environment) was what I as a college student aspires to implement and put
into force in the institution like colleges. In the course of my 10 years teaching,
the powerpoint slide share was the only ICT tool used in teaching students as
means to give a nudge to traditionally teacher-fronted and deductive method of
teaching. Indeed a bit of pedagogic transformation in teaching-learning
process. What is Padlet? Big Blue
Button? Zoom? Webinar? And many more to name. Even to do a bit of
techno-related vocation like of inserting voice on my Google slide, I find it
as a heck of work as it takes quite a time to brace myself for it. For some eyes that see me for the first time
may pass me for a kind of old-fashioned teacher who is reluctant to shy away
from the orthodox pedagogy and needed a break from teaching. Polls everywhere
frustrated me, expecting endless task from lecturers. Frustrations knew no
bounds yet I empathised myself, sometimes calling question into myself whether
i am doing the assigned tasks under coercion or out of compliance.
The very thought of my friends, the likes of me who
might be struggling across the treacherous sea and throwing fits over his
technical immaturity, made me chuckle and mumble to myself that at-least there
would be handfuls of other jack of all trades. The nation-wide PD program on Transformative
Pedagogy tailor-made towards transforming teachers and up-scaling the quality
of education is seen not as effectual as learning under the compulsion of
covid-19 situation to fine-tune ourselves with 21st century pedagogical skills
and ICT incorporation. Though I feel I am not to the extent of being doomed,
yet the Covid-19 really tested my stand- my knowledge and skills in appropriateness
of a teacher to teach the 21st century students.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of corona tension,
some even cautioned me to stock rations and other essential items to economize
on for few months after which I thought I will make my way to village, should
there be any need.
There are chances that the Covid-19 situation may
lead to a community transmission if apposite preventive measures are not taken.
Always, discretion shall be prioritized than the valour. However, as a
Bhutanese citizen, one must be strong-minded and live by the optimistic
expectations. Even the whole world knows how indefatigably our Majesty’s had
been working, deprived of proper sleep and precious time with royals, to battle
against this pandemic that plagued the entire world. The every single deed of our
Majesty and the concerted efforts of Government in striving to safeguard our
nation against Covid-19 must be borne in the minds of every Bhutanese. Now,
with staggeringly increasing numbers of Covid in our neighbourhood, and scores
of volunteers taking lives in hands to protect our citizens, it is a crucial
time as well for all of us to be on the forefront and be the part of all. As I
remain myself immersed in praying and worrying about the present scenario of
covid-19, let me ask you one question. Do you think we can grapple with the
situation incase the community transmission lapsed into a reality? Here, what calls
for everyone is to embrace the grit and union to fight Covid-19 and fulfil the visions
of His Majesty. As a Bhutanese nation, we are one for all and all for one.
Concerted efforts do not go waste, it demands lots of time and gets paid off
sooner or later. That’s simple- Let us Stay home and comply with the dos and
don’ts of Covid-19. Graces and blessings are inevitable, therefore let’s pray
to Triple Gems.
Pic Source: FB
Distantly persisted,
least bothered if you dare,
Never did we expect to
be in thy womb,
If a fabric of love is
to interweave
It might call for
industrious hands to toil
Time and means are what
come into question?
The hustle and bustle
of life,
A jolt of fear that
reined firm in us,
She did close it half-heartedly,
Through the twists of ways
she steered us
To the place where we all have begun
Scarcely did eyes see
she sobbed her heart out
Though vessels are not
even half filled,
Yet one can’t imagine
the pangs deep in her
The year still has
journey to embark on
To groom and mould her children of love
Alas! She let out cries
and strained nerves,
In quest for wisdom that
she has to bequeath
Stood the test of time
that marched by
For souls, the denizens
of her great womb
To cradle and prepare all
on all fours-learning
Amongst God and Goddesses she lives,
The fount where she gained
wisdom from,
The mount where she
garnered forte from,
Against all odds, she
did brave the weather
For her children to bring
to the fore
Perplexed, she calls
her children,
Those drowned in the marine
of uncertainty
But through the fabric of
wisdom she is woven,
Dispelled all those clouded the clearness of
wits
Behind her fervent calls
and wishes
The God comes and
attends her heart’s demands
Oh! Almighty God, have
mercy on us
With utmost fondness,
we stand at your feet
As Pandemic
swells, thy shall hold us at bay
Never shall such woes bar her will of ways
To let she suckle and enthuse
us the ray of hope
