News on women…

“What has been reported is a very negligible percentage and many are unreported” The anchor proudly closes the subject and moves onto other news. The women speakers in the news proudly speak of the incidences and expert claim of men stereotyping women.

I am baffled these days at the news on gender issues, women not being treated well enough and all sorts of issues related to women treatment and not forgetting domestic violence on women in particular. I do agree there are some who abuse their women at home and treat them badly. A few organizations are also making headlines helping the victims, women in particular. This is such a sad thing to know when Bhutan is dancing with modernity every moment of our lives. It is such a shame to know when educated people abuse their spouses in all forms. I too consider this to be very serious and shameful in nature considering the biological differences between a man and a woman.  I am also happy that people now know more about domestic violence than a couple of years ago. Thanks to the ever growing media in all forms.

Women these days however small in physique and however paid in their profession seem to take an upper hand in a typical family set up. You see, most men submit to women when it’s family. For wealthy overpowering wives, you can only imagine the plight of the husbands. And for some women, they are more than men. Just see for yourself if there’s any speck of truth in my statement. This is the general scene in almost all homes in Bhutan. Back in the old past women held all decision making power including landholdings and house ownership. It was men who moved into being husbands in the homes of women. Isn’t this also true? This practice is very much alive even today in our villages. Just ask your fellow people nearby!

On the other hand, the news is correct. Men do exist who ill-treat women, men who belong to the old school of thought. Such men should be guillotined.

Our society places women in high regard and is giving opportunities equal to men and women in general enjoy no discrimination at least in our country. I see it this way. And of course there will always be some drunken psychopaths in every society who beat up their wives. Let the law take care of them. Imagine the plight of women in the developing world and especially women of some Islamic nations.

I hope the next news I hear would not be, “Some men were beaten-up in the street by a group of women”

Distracted from Distraction by Distraction (T S Eliot)

These days many tell and ask me about the recent free immigration granted to the Bhutanese by the US President Donald Trump. I too came across this news on Facebook and forgetting others, even my wife at home asks me about this. I told her it’s fake. I don’t know about the general population but most of whom I know spend more time on Facebook and other social media sites. I am also no exception to these lots of people who are into internet for almost everything, if you know what I mean.

My other teacher friend who is a Dzongkha teacher also asked me this morning, “President ghi immigration thar bala dang, Bhutanese baka mangi moh” (The president has granted free immigration to the Bhutanese. Is it?) A woman with scary cuts on her neck was posted some weeks ago mentioning of the incident in Punakha. Later, it was a hoax. I am sure many had a long ensuing conversation of the incident. These sorts of fake news will only create malaise in the society.

Google

I think it’s high time people know what’s real and fake on the internet. I am of the opinion that social media sites like Facebook has a powerful influence and impact over its users and people tend to think whatever posted is for real. I am also of the opinion, children be taught media literacy in schools. It’s OK for the children but what about the general population. Something should be done to educate people on what to believe and what not to believe. News of everything comes on the social media even before BBS makes an official broadcast.

I think media consumers in Bhutan need some education at a personal level otherwise going by the numbers who believe and think it’s for real is staggering. If something isn’t done now, I think T. S Eliot will be more than happy when he said, “Distracted from Distraction by Distraction”. I would like to end my update today with a food for thought and see if it's for real. I know you will!

"The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do" -BF Skinner

Good day folks!

Going awfully wrong!

“Sir, Nga phow nawmey” (Sir, my tummy aches) said a tearful girl. I bumped into this girl on my way to the morning assembly. I told her to be in the class and rest. When I was back, she still wept over her pain. “Give me your mom’s number” and I made the call informing of her condition and to my horror, mom tells me, “Moh homework ma chab ni dhe ghe shob chabmey” (She’s lying because she didn’t do her homework). I asked her time and again and only after assuring that she will not be punished for any homework did she tell me the truth. Her homework is undone. I let her sit down with the other mates and instantly her pain was gone.

On one occasion teachers were asked to write an explanation because he/she had taken some senior students on an excursion and some naughty ones came home late at night. That was a Monday morning greeting. Parents, worried and frowning at the management questioned the school administration. Later upon investigation, it was found that some students did go for an excursion and some posed as teachers calling their friends parents. No teacher went for any excursion. Parents were deceived and teachers…scapegoat.

Very recently on the news, a child was caught using a cell phone and the teacher seized it. Later some out of school youth charged the teacher wanting the cell phone back. Again upon investigation, the out of school youth were friends of the mobile phone owner.

Just last year, some two or three broke into the school library and took away the computer monitor, CPU, keypad and everything that comes along including the extension cord. Imagine their plight of lifting all of these packed in sack. They did this in broad daylight during a Sunday.

Little children as young as 8 or 9 formed a group calling themselves a ‘gang’ robbed several houses and when questioned by the police, these innocents testified saying, “Ngachey lu boss yeh la.” (We have a boss).

Another one, this would be the last otherwise I can go on and on making it painfully didactic for you to read of children’s mischief. Some boys in one of the afternoons brought some cigarettes and they hid just above the school in some bushes, you know why. In doing so, they lit up the bushes nearby and we found ourselves disturbed by the fire fighters sirens in our school compound.

Somewhere, something is going awfully wrong. For all the incidences that I just mentioned, you can draw your own conclusions and weigh it measure for measure because for some pressure and pleasure mean the same. I mean the children these days keeping in mind I am also a father of two.

Good day folks!

Smacking Sense in People!

I write my frustrations and thrash it for readers like you to read but trust me when I write my troubles down, I am relieved and writing significantly reduces my troubles.

Here’s another episode of my experiences that I undergo on a daily basis. I live in place where greed has taken precedence over humanity. People can go to extremes to get their will done. For instance, if one is superior in whatever fields, colleagues don’t matter or for that matter, opinions. If a crowd of thirty unanimously agrees to one thing, these flabby superiors will take the opposite stand defending their opinions, ultimately their ego. One need not be a philosopher to infer that it is their ego speaking with shallow pride. And of course they aren’t right. The remedy to avoid embarrassment is, ignore them and just make excuses not to be in their company. This works and avoids trouble after all one need not depend on the other for anything, for anything!

When people use others stuff its fine with them but when their stuff is being used it’s as if the crime branch people come knocking at your door. Only time tells of the people they really are, and until you know such people you are just a passerby. If they need help, they will leave no stone un-turned to make you help them. Such politicking can people be and I am sure you must be having these ones around you. Be careful, they aren’t the ones whom you think they are. 

The lure of power drives a decent human being to become a psychopath in seconds. Once power overrules judgment, that’s when you make enemies and even if you have friends they befriend you for the power you possess not for the human being in you. Also, take for instance in offices far and wide, one need to have someone known working in that office, otherwise your little work will take days because the person in charge of doing your work’s ego will be hurt if the work is instantly done. Just to make you realize how powerful he/she is, you will be given stupidly obvious excuses which even a three year old would comprehend.

Google Images

Morality is one principle which everyone propounds verbally with anecdotes and incidences and when need comes to them; corruption is the only refuge they seek. A very good friend of mine Rinchen remarked in one of the morning assemblies, “Not everyone who smiles are your friends.” How I wish the people I mentioned were all six year old spoiled brats so that I could spank some sense into them and make them human again.

As I mentioned in my opening lines, I am now reduced significantly in my embarrassment and the next time I meet these people, I will just greet them smilingly thinking of Rinchen’s lines.

“Not everyone who smiles are your friends.”

Good Day Folks!

Being a Student Again!

This is in continuation to my blog post of 11^th May 2016 titled Dreaming before Thirty. I wrote about my three dreams that I wanted fulfilled before turning thirty and this update mentions of almost fulfilling my third dream-getting a Master’s Degree. In my previous update too, I have mentioned about how I wished my dream realized.

It was during the fall last year that I received a call from a friend of mine asking me to apply for the yearly TICA[i] scholarships. She knew I was eligible and had the prerequisite of qualifying for the scholarship. I was not really into qualifying but I had good degree marks. Getting ourselves a photocopy of all the documents, we submitted to our parent ministry and after a week of submitting the documents, she again called, of me getting shortlisted.

Excitement kicked in at the news and from then on, discussed so much on how to answer in an interview, sought help in the internet and so on. Finally on the big D- Day of my interview, I was the fourth candidate to be interviewed by a panel of five think tanks from various ministries and agencies. After answering pretty smartly to all their questions, I was acknowledged by the chair and wished me luck for the results. I smilingly thanked the panel and slipped out of the room.

Source: RCSC

School resumed for this year’s academic session and I went about my schooling duties. After 2 days of resuming, the news crashed in and half-hardheartedly browsed for my interview result only to be elated and excited for the very first time in my 10 years of professional life. You can only imagine how happy I am now and how I long to be a student again and immerse myself in the world of academics.

Guys! Wish me luck…

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[i] Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency 

Punishing the innocent…

“Lopen, Zhu Zhu” stopping my car was a lady traffic police.

Stopping I said,

“Gachi ina”.

“Mobile use bayday loh.”

“Gaghi lab deh” was my prompt reply. “Nga ghi thong yi”.

This incident took me by surprise a couple of weeks ago. I had my cell phone charged for almost four hours on my way back from Trongsa. Listening to some of my favorite songs I had forgotten about my phone and out of nowhere a lady appears accusing me of using mobile phone. As I was settling my differences with the lady, the other officer had already asked for my documents and handed me a pink receipt stating a violation. What the heck?  You can only imagine my temper and frustration there for doing nothing.

I had to wait in a long snaking line, the next day to get back what was deliberately taken from me and after paying a thousand Ngultrums of course.   Well I drive a small Alto. What about those cars whose audio system can be synchronized with a cell phone. People casually talk and drive. I have seen plenty. And for the men/women (traffic police) in blue, how are they monitoring such practices. And those using a Bluetooth headset, do they actually take notice of what that thing is.

On being uniformed blue with white stripes allover, these people think that are the king of the roads and talk to people with overpowering tones. Instead they look like clowns to me personally. Dear members of the traffic police, use some human decency to talk to drivers and people on the roads. I am sure you are being paid every month with rations included for your services. And your service is not to accuse people as if you bought them their cars.

Google Images

I travel every day to work and I see roads dotted with these blue people and every day I also see people talking merrily while driving and they don’t seem to notice. Are these people there to deliberately fine people or are they there to make our roads safer by fining the violators? Just a thought hoping that this update of mine would prick some sense into the much respected traffic people, with all due respect to those who are doing their services work fine. No pun intended!

Lastly but not the least, one person’s act should cloud my judgment on others but this has been the norm of everyday life since the beginning of time.

Happy Driving folks!

Ours is an autonomous agency: A Bhutanese Saying!

I made a phone call to an official in BCSEA, formerly BBE. (Bhutan Council for Secondary Examinations and Assessment) “Hello, I am Lobsang Nima and I am calling from LLSS, Thimphu. I want to inquire about how evaluators in English are selected for evaluation in the English subject. I have been teaching English for the last ten years and I haven’t been to an evaluation camp even once. Can you tell me what criteria must I meet for being eligible for such camp?” Quick came the reply,

“Sir we select teachers based on the subjects they teach (Never mentioned the criteria) especially those teachers who teach classes X and XII, indicating teachers from Lower Secondary schools and Primary schools aren’t eligible. Although, I am not saying teachers from LSS and PS aren’t capable and competent but if I do so. I will have to listen to a lot of criticisms from those who are teaching at the secondary level.” I thanked the person, conversation ended.

For information, BCSEA provides quotas to all schools for invigilation duties during the board exams and for Management works as I have heard are now given to the support staff to save on cost-TA/DA. A legitimate reason! In primary schools classes III and VI papers are evaluated in the school.

Google images

The Raison de tre for this particular update is, just for the fear of criticisms do you make phone calls to English teachers of secondary schools for evaluating English papers. This might surely be the case with other subjects, I don’t know. Perhaps, Bhutan might be the only country which takes ‘criticisms’ as all devil and negative. If secondary teachers teaching X and XII’s are eligible, how many of them do we have in Bhutan? All are teachers of MSS and HSS called for the evaluation? If not, how does the rest of the country know about what is happening during the winters in the hallowed walls and classrooms of CST, Rinchending? The question here is not about how many are called but how are they called? This is giving me a feeling that until now, only the near and known ones of the subject heads have been called. If this is so, I am surely worried about the credibility of the assessment done.

Perhaps, it’s time BCSEA floats this criteria like they float quotas for invigilation duties to the respective Dzongkhags and Thromdes for evaluators in secondary schools-no pun intended. When the rest of the country is working with accountability and transparency, one cannot defend saying, ours is an autonomous agency. This has become a clichéd saying-“Auntonomous bay ne dhi ghi, lakha Du.” “How lakha is in your hands!” BCSEA can set criteria for evaluation camp in different subjects and keep it open for teachers. This ‘Lakha Du’ of yours will take care of itself-my humble opinion. 

My Double Trouble- Vol. II( I never knew Love)

I was reading through an e-book in a borrowed Kindle Paper White and my thoughts suddenly went to my two sleeping daughters’ right beside me. I remembered parts of this poem and I still had difficulty tracking down the poet.  I read it on Facebook some years ago. After hours of browsing I finally came to the name Maurice Yvonne. It was like a wild goose chase in the internet. This poem best describes my love for my daughters. Some of the lines are of my own. With due respect to the poet...

Azhim 2

Azhim 1 

 

For every tear you shed from hurt

physical or emotional

For every tear you shed from shame

rightly or wrongly

My loves

my heart sheds a beat

I never knew love

 Azhims with Mom

Until I knew you

I love you both

from my tippy toes

to the peak

of my silver threads

Don't hurt my dears

But when you do

I will hold you tight

Encase your fears

Minimize the pain

And when my heart bleeds

or slightly feels a crack

It's because my daughters

your lives before mine.

I love you so much girls...

What and How...

This is an update of a different kind. I was registering myself for a program on the RIGSS website. For those of you who do not know what RIGSS is, its Royal Institute for Governance and strategic Studies. After the registration I was given a question to answer in 500-700 words. The system gives me two hours to answer this question in not more than 700 words. By the time I had done answering I still had 1 hour 29 minutes left. Thanks to my blogging experience. I don’t know if I have done justice with my reasoning but here it’s just for your reading pleasure.

Question: What can the education system do to make our youth develop into productive, responsible and efficient citizens of the future?

Thank you for the questions and I am elated to the extreme that I get the opportunity to answer to a question that relates to my professional life. Well, being a teacher means constantly engaging myself in thoughts that would make my pupils an educated and efficient citizens of the future. To cut short and delve into the question there are several factors and reasons that affect our youth in making them capable, responsible and educated citizens of Bhutan. Firstly,

1. Curriculum
As of now our curriculum is such that we invite people from the west who we consider 'consultants' and these consultants invite educationists from all school system in Bhutan, conduct a month long conference and then decide what is best for the children of Bhutan. We should be in a position to decide and maintain what is good for our own children not that an alien from the west decides what is suitable and best for the children of Bhutan. This is what has happened exactly to the English curriculum as a teacher myself. Children learn of all sorts of modern and contemporary literature forgetting the greatness of the classics. Thank god that from next year, English teachers like me can breathe a sigh of relief that the Bard, William Shakespeare will be introduced into English curriculum. Children learn from the knowledge of the past and to have a strong solid foundation in English language and literature. This is the very first step in making our youth capable of speaking and writing acceptable and correct English with confidence. Curriculum of the present should be reformed to suit the Bhutanese youth so as to make them proud, responsible and educated citizens of tomorrow, considering the confidence and English capability of some of our graduates today. 

2. System Support
Teachers all over Bhutan, even as I write this feel that there is very little support from the ministry and the RCSC. In the due course of educating and grooming our youth today, some teachers fall prey to abuse, criticisms and insults to the extreme of resigning from the Teachership. Some exceptional youth (Good as well as bad) make this happen to the teachers. In morality terms, who speaks about  good?  Even one's ultimate boss sees only the weaknesses in an employee. And for the good that one does for all these years, it's just a passing breeze commenting, "You are paid to do that". Teachers  walk the extra mile to make our youth very productive and efficient sometimes at the expense of one's personal family time only to be remarked on ones absentees from the school and the bad that you were involved years ago. If a teacher fights and raises some voice for the betterment of the youth in schools today, this move has to be in the good books of firstly the principal boss and several bosses above him or her. The current system of bureaucracy in the ministry of education particularly is so hassle-some that the teacher loses the motivation to work and perform. For those who made a mistake in a typical school, there are hordes of individuals and agencies right up to the ministry that this teacher must answer to but for those teachers who make the schools and youth proud, there is hardly anyone merely to say some appreciative words forgetting the momento(s) and awards. There is a serious problem as of now with the support that teachers get from the ministry of education let alone from the Principals of our schools today. This issue if taken care by the RCSC in particular, I bet you  teachers will perform miracles if not heartily groom the happy citizens of tomorrow. 

3. Leadership
A school in any corner of this world is defined by the principal leading that school. A school is a ship and principal its captain. All teachers and students are mere passengers. Together and only together they can sail towards destiny. Of late, I have heard of exceptional teachers not given a platform to perform in schools just because the principal belongs to some old school of thought. Prove me wrong if no such principals exist. There are plenty beginning from where I am now writing this piece. A leader must say 'Let’s go' not just 'Go' to achieve the vision what they had envisioned in beginning of the academic year. A school can be successful only if its principal is ethically and professionally correct in judgments whether be curricular or co-curricular, professional or personal on the teachers and students.

All of the three reasons above best justify my stand on what can the education system of Bhutan do to make the present generation of youth educated, responsible, productive and efficient citizens of tomorrow.

Thank You. 

My Double Trouble

My Trouble

After a day’s work when you think of having a power nap out of exhaustion the act of power napping is defeated by my kid who eagerly waits for me and even before I change she asks me, “Shoo Shoo” meaning pick her up in her usual temper tantrums. What is there to do next? Just listen and give in to her demands.

The Double Trouble

It’s a Sunday and you think of having a good baby sleep in the morning and again Tenzin wakes me up early calling “Papa (Loudly)… No No” meaning milk. She then holds my index finger and takes to me to the kitchen where I must pour her a bottle of milk.

A kid at home means double trouble for a dad like me...Two kids...you can only imagine the trouble. For all the troubles that my kids cause especially the elder one made me update this short verse. Happy reading!

Thank you god for

For the children of mine

Who teach me things

That blow my mind.

They entertain themselves

In the funniest ways.

I pray that the innocence

They possess never goes away.

I pray they will grow up

And be smart.

I pray they never feel alone.

I pray they will call home

Whenever near a phone.

And know that your dad

Will always be there.