The English language has been dominating Dzongkha when it comes to communication and for official purposes. And promoting the national language still remains a challenge in the country. In an attempt to promote its usage, a private language Institute in Thimphu has embarked on a journey by training government officials on the usage of Dzongkha in official correspondences.
Starting off the training earlier this week, Dzongkha Professional Institute trained its first batch of participants. They were taught how to use Dzongkha to prepare office orders, note sheets, circulars and appointment orders among others.
“Having been trained for five days at the Dzongkha Professional Institute, it has greatly benefited us. Till date, we have been using English for official correspondences. And after the training, we learnt how to prepare official letters such as office orders and note sheets in Dzongkha. The training has been very useful,” shares Chencho Gyeltshen, a participant.
“The training we received from the institute has motivated us to be examples to others. Till now we have been corresponding in English. And from the training, we learnt the importance of our national language. Henceforth, we will be using Dzongkha in everything we do,” added Sonam Om, also a participant.
The Home and Cultural Affairs Minister, Dasho Sherub Gyeltshen says while there are clear executive orders and even a Royal Decree stating that Dzongkha should be used in official correspondences, the implementation part has not been given due importance. Dzongkha Development Commission’s survey conducted in 2017 revealed that of the 43 government offices surveyed, only ten per cent used Dzongkha, while the rest used English for official correspondence.
“The main reason for conducting the training is to encourage people to use Dzongkha for official corresponding. This is also in line with His Majesty The King’s command to use Dzongkha in everyday affairs. And this training is our humble effort to train government officials and agencies. We have trained them in Dzongkha computer codes and Dzongkha official correspondences,” said Sonam Tshering, the CEO of Dzongkha Professional Institute.
The institute hopes that the training will revive the use of Dzongkha both in spoken and written expressions. Dzongkha Professional Institute was established last year to support the promotion of Dzongkha in the country.
Sonam Pem
