To enhance leadership capabilities and to offer a platform to contribute to the larger education reforms envisioned by His Majesty The King, the Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies launched its tenth leadership course in Tsirang, yesterday. The leadership training titled “School Leaders Development Programme” is exclusively for school principals across the country. The institute is providing the course at the Royal Audit Authority’s Professional Development Centre in Tsirang due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and quarantine requirements in Phuentshogling, and also because the institute in Phuentshogling is being used as the COVID-19 control centre since the beginning of the pandemic. Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering graced the launching ceremony.
In the first batch of the two-week course, 25 school principals from various schools are attending the training. The institute developed the leadership course in collaboration with the education ministry.
“Training school principals is one way among many to improve the quality of education. They play a crucial role in shaping the lives of students. So we have decided to give quality leadership training to our school principals,” said Education Minister Jai Bir Rai.
“We have received proposals from the Ministry of Education requesting us for leadership courses for our educators in the past but we have not been able to do this because of a sheer number of teachers and principals in the country and we have other programs as well. So this time, the timing works out very well and we were also inspired by the opportunity to play a small role in the larger education reforms called for by His Majesty The King,” said Chewang Rinzin the Director of RIGSS.
Leadership experts and trainers from Bhutan and abroad are training the group through both in-person and virtual sessions in the wake of the pandemic.
“It is too much focused on developing leadership and leadership skills amongst our school leaders. So there will be many sessions on leadership skills like presentation and communication skills, mediation, and conflict resolution skills. And there will be also experts talking on organisational development, change management and a host of topics,” the Director of RIGSS added.
The training also incorporates workshops and thematic discussions on subjects that would matter in the discourse of the education reforms. The proposals and recommendations of the school leaders will be compiled and shared with the Ministry of Education and the Education Reform Council.
The institute will be training around 500 school leaders covering all principals and officiating principals in the next one and half years.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
