Druk Nyamrup Tsogpa’s president says its pledge to do away with class 10 cut-off point is constitutional. Lotay Tshering said this at campaign meeting with the people of Chhoekhor_Tang constituency in Bumthang on Friday.
“Druk Phuensum Tshogpa has said the pledge is unconstitutional on numerous occasions. We have referred the constitution and it doesn’t say the pledge is unconstitutional,” Lotay Tshering said.
“It can be seen from different perspectives and I don’t how they conceived it be to be unconstitutional. As far as we are concerned, we have referred the constitution several times and even consulted people who drafted the constitution. They said it’s in line with the constitution, so we are continuing with the pledge,” he added.
DNT’s pledge to do away with the class 10 cut-off point is intended to raise the free basic education level in the country to class 12. The party’s manifesto says currently more than 50 per cent 10th-grade students leave schools due to limited support from the state.
The party wants to enable students to continue till class 12 through state funding.
The constitution (Article 9, Section 16) says the state shall provide free education to all children of school going age up to the tenth standard and ensure that technical and professional education is made generally available and that higher education is equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
Meanwhile, in response to a question from the audience, Lotay Tshering assured a seat in the cabinet for Dawa, DNT’s candidate from Chhoekhor_Tang constituency.
“If you all elect Dawa as your Chhoekhoer_Tang MP in the general round, we will appoint him as one of our ministers. If Dawa is not a potential ministerial candidate, we won’t field him as the opponent of the former Opposition Leader. It’s all in your hands now,” he told the gathering.
