Editorial

The thromde elections are over and new thrompons and tshogpas elected in the three municipalities of Thimphu, Phuentsholing and Gelephu widely considered the commercial hubs of the country.Given the magnanimity of the role played by these new cohorts of urban planners and decision makers, it has become even more imperative that the best and the most deserving candidates are given …

Starting Monday, April 1, the ban on single use plastic carry bags, doma wrappers and ice cream pouches comes into effect, reinforcing a ban that was once tried two decades ago. There is a voluntary movement against the use of plastics in particular and waste in general.Every now and then we see people post pictures of collecting waste. Cleaning campaigns …

This week, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) honoured His Majesty The King with a Special Award of Recognition for His Majesty’s leadership in advancing human development and the wellbeing and happiness of the people of Bhutan. The UNDP had been one of the earliest development partners of Bhutan. They have seen Bhutan transform from an agrarian society to a …

The government’s decision to amend the Mines and Minerals Act of 1995 is a welcomed decision. The out-dated Act is shrouded in controversy. The decision is welcomed for so many reasons. From the deliberations in the Council, it can be derived that the old Act was benefiting only a handful of people, those in the mining sector. While the Constitution …

The projections of the National Statistical Bureau provide a lot of information, crucial for planning and setting our development agenda. As a small landlocked country, we have always thought that a small population will be easier to manage and feed. However, the findings of the report are disturbing. We had been experiencing steep decline in the fertility rate in the …

So the Class X cut off point will remain much to the disappointment of many students. This is the decision of the ongoing education conference where experts are discussing education issues. The government has pledged, to do away with the Class X cut off points to enable as many students to get to Class XI, when running for government. The …

What would come as good news for students, the government has decided to do away exams for primary schools. It will be done in phases and replaced by a formative assessment where students will be judged on modern assessment systems and not only exams. The decision has come after consultations with the Bhutan Council of School Examination and Assessment. How …

Samtse is all set to host the 111th National Day. The otherwise quite dzongkhag has suddenly come to life for the past few days with people from across the country heading down to the dzongkhag to witness the historic National Day celebrations. His Majesty The King, His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyaplo, Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen, His Royal Highness The …

The government’s proposal to do away with Saturday classes in the schools has received some attention. The idea is to give students and teachers a ‘reflective time’ by not having to come to school for half a day. While some are of the view that the government is meddling with the education system by taking populist decisions, those in the …

There has been a long silence from the new government since the Khadar ceremony earlier this month. People are wondering and even questioning what the government is doing. It seems that the government had been busy finalising the 12th Plan. The government has already lost about six months and will have to get things rolling to ensure the massive 12th …