After nurturing generations of Bhutanese for nearly four decades, Kelki Higher Secondary School, the first private school in the country, will permanently shut its doors by the end of this academic year. The closure follows a government directive to reclaim the school’s leased land for a national priority project.
Located in the heart of Thimphu, Kelki School has been a familiar and respected name since its founding in 1987. It began as a private pre-primary school and later evolved into a higher secondary institution in 1999. But after 38 years of service, the school now faces a quiet farewell.
The school spans an area of nearly two acres. They pay Nu 1.5 M annually to the thromde for using the land.
According to the school, the education minister said the area would be used for an international school.
“Sometime in late January, we received a letter from Thromde stating that it’s a directive from the cabinet to terminate the lease of the land Kelki is built. Actually, Kelki had a lease of another 22 years to continue, but the government said that they have a national priority project to come up on this land,” said Sonam Tobgay R, Principal, Kelki Higher Secondary School, Thimphu.
The school was asked to vacate by this month and dismantle the structures. However, following appeals, the school said the education minister agreed to extend the deadline. We could not contact the minister for comments.
“The impact is already being felt because the teachers are having a tough time continuing their lessons with all these disturbed minds. Even the students are talking about where they’ll go next year, what will happen, and where their friends will go,” said Sonam Tobgay R, Principal, Kelki Higher Secondary School, Thimphu.
Currently, the school has 182 students and 19 teachers, all of whom will need to find new placements by the end of this year.
A woman requesting anonymity said she had enrolled her grandson at Kelki because the school was close to her home and offered a safe environment. She shared that it had taken him time to adjust to the school, and with the news of closure, she is now worried about the difficulty of finding another suitable school and helping him adapt all over again.
“I feel really sad about it because I spent a lot of my childhood days here. I’ve made a lot of friends here, good memories, bad memories, but most of them are good. I’ve also spent a lot of my days learning here, and it taught me so much. It didn’t just teach me things from the textbook, but also a lot about courage, strength, and things I would not have learned otherwise without them. It makes me really sad that it’s going to be closing soon,” said Eden Phintsho, Student, Kelki Higher Secondary School, Thimphu.
“In such a situation, the worry of a teacher is not only his worry, but it also burdens the whole family because there are several teachers who are the sole breadwinner in the family and have to look after the whole family,” said Ugyen, Teacher, Kelki Higher Secondary School, Thimphu.
While students and teachers now look ahead to an uncertain next chapter, the legacy of Bhutan’s first private school will continue to live on in the hearts of those who passed through its gates.
Kinley Bidha
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
