By Zulkee Choden Rinzin | Communications Officer
Druk Journal Conversation
The first-ever Online Druk Journal conversation on the theme, Bhutan in the Age of Technology generated much excitement among the college students and faculty members of Gyalpozhing College of Information and Technology (GCIT) and political party representatives on Saturday, 30 May.
The online conversation was held in light of ongoing restrictions on gathering in the wake of a global pandemic. Three speakers who contributed to the spring issue of the journal, Bhutan in the Age of Technology spoke on Bhutan’s plan to stay relevant in the technology age. Jigme spoke on Bhutan’s ICT masterplan. The second speaker, Kinley talked about what the Royal University of Bhutan is doing to improve and prepare ICT in tertiary education. The third speaker, Ujjwal shared how Bhutan is planning on science, technology, and innovation to find a Bhutanese path.
During the Q&A session a student from GCIT, Sonam asked about the government’s plans to reduce digital inequality between the rural and urban areas. Jigme who is also leading the Department of Technology and Telecom said that a large chunk of resources is being allocated to improve connectivity in rural places. “…Our focus is on how to make the Internet affordable… We are also looking at regulatory measures to bring down Internet usage costs,” said Jigme.
Cybersecurity, employment opportunities, use of IT to improve public service delivery, and the importance of opening the third Internet gateway, etc. were other issues discussed in the conversation.
This issue of The Druk Journal is supported by DIPD, Druk Holdings & Investment and EU Helvetas.
Enabling Inclusive Citizen Participation
Chencho, a teacher from the Wangsel Institute for the Deaf shares some of the impacts the News and Media Literacy workshop has had in the lives of the deaf students in terms of inclusivity, access to information, and citizen education.
“I realised that my deaf students had no access to news and information that is critical for them as a citizen in a young democratic country.”
Media literacy is important for our students who are also on social media and read news and information online. After availing BCMD’s training, we conducted basic training for students from classes PP – X to impart critical skills and methods to judge and analyse information and news. This session was planned to prepare our students against mass information, fake news and rising online threats.
I feel the lack of access to information and platform for the deaf people has been an issue in the country. We need to be conscious and create resources and enabling platforms for deaf students to develop their interpersonal skills, boost confidence and self-esteem to be able to share their views and concerns openly, and participate in conversations.”
Teachers and students of Wangsel Institute attended the BCMD’s Bhutan Democracy Forum in 2019 where elected leaders, decision-makers, media personnel and the academia were also present. A pertinent issue about the lack of information for the deaf students beyond the classroom was raised then and it has gone on to spur discussions on the topic outside the forum towards building inclusive plans and policies.
Youth Voice in Youth Matters
Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy has had the opportunity to lead and capture on film the youth engagement process of the National Youth Policy (NYP) review.
In an increasingly audio-visual world, the 14-minute video takes the viewers along the journey with the Youth Initiative (YI) members as they undergo the various stages of reviewing the youth policy. It models an approach that remains youth-centred, youth-led and youth-empowered.
Besides the journey of the YI members, the video also seeks to educate viewers who might not have been aware of the NYP about its importance and implications to the overall development of youths in Bhutan. With a mix of narration as well as the voices of the youths as they engage in conversations on issues that impact and surround the lives of young citizens, various challenges are highlighted. Subsequently, suggestions and recommendations from the youth are also presented in hopes of contributing to nation-building as we chart the way forward for youths to achieve their full potential.
The process documentation was supported by UNICEF.
Reimagining Bhutan’s Education and Economy
Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy conducted the forum Reimagining Bhutan’s Education & Economy at the YDF conference hall that saw three speakers, including a youth, engage in discussion about the impacts of the pandemic and its future implications.
Sonam highlighted the importance for teachers to break the cycle of “dependency”. Even after months of e-learning, students are relying on teachers for instructions, and teachers are relying on the Royal Education Council for directives. On a similar note, Karma highlighted the importance of “continuous learning” and the need to unlearn and learn new skills as evident from teachers feeling technologically challenged when lessons moved to online platforms. Among issues like social inequity and technological divide, the forum touched on pertinent challenges within the education system like the lack of connection between curriculum and economy and the news skills that need emphasis (e.g. creativity, self-directedness, critical thinking, adaptability, technological skills etc.)
In terms of employment, the need to change people’s mindset regarding the jobs individuals take on was emphasized. The unemployment rate amongst youth is high and there is a desperate need for labourers in the construction and agriculture sector, yet people still refuse to apply due to the stigma of doing vocational work. If the importance of vocational work was made socially acceptable, more youth would be motivated to apply for the jobs. This pandemic has shown that society should no longer wait until individuals are desperate enough to increase interest and employment in skills-oriented work. A participant opined that children have been brought up to focus on education to obtain high-paying jobs and it is not only an educational issue but a social one. Investing in work environment safety, mechanising, and professionalising were some of the suggestions from the audience in addition to emphasis on greater collaboration between private and vocational institutes to bridge the current gap between mismatch in skills and the market requirement. The forum also touched upon bigger structural issues like challenges in inter-agency collaboration and cooperation within the public system.
This forum was supported by CISU.
Media Literacy Amidst an Infodemic
With a deluge of information on social media due to the current pandemic, News and Media literacy has never been more relevant and necessary than now. It is hard to figure out which information is verified and from a valid source and which ones are not.
With physical distancing and other measures put in place, Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy (BCMD) conducted the News and Media Literacy and Being a Good Citizen training in five batches for the teachers from Project Mikhung partner schools - Drukgyel Central School and Shaba Higher Secondary School. We also held the training for the town committee members and government officials as well as BCMD staff. Overall, 49 participants, 27 female and 22 male took part in the training.
The discussions during the training gave participants the opportunity to discuss what it means to be apolitical, the need to know the difference between news and information and journalistic values in a democracy. Limited democracy literacy and citizenship education were among the many reasons the citizens disengaged from the democratic process.
“As a counsellor, I have an increasing number of students availing counselling services, with issues related to social media like cyberbullying, poor time management, fake news, low self-esteem, not being mindful of their social media post and comments resulting in bigger issues. I am sure that this might be the issue that most of the other counsellors might behandling. Therefore, this training on media and democracy will enable us to understand our students better and provide all the necessary information and skills,” said Tshering.
One of the participants never voted as she was overwhelmed with politics in our neighbouring countries and having to be apolitical as a civil servant. However, attending the training made her realise that change is possible. “Having attended this training, my values of good citizens are unfolding only now,” said Sonam.
One of the training also consisted of a session on ‘Meeting the Press’, which included representatives from BBS News, BBS Radio and Kuensel, both the press and the participants had the opportunity to clarify what a productive and conducive environment would look like for them to be able to work together as elucidated by the Editor from Kuensel, Ugyen, “It is important for [the government] and the media to work together – I see the group here as the bridge between the media and the people. When the information is not clear- it raises more doubts and questions.”
The participants also conversed about the values of being a good citizen, especially the value of respecting diversity — an important and integral aspect of democratic culture. Tashi, a Gewog Administrative Officer said, “In a democracy, political parties led by a woman have different perspectives than a party led by men in framing policies and therefore, we need to respect those diverse perspectives.” Women remain a minority when it comes to political representation and it is only by respecting the diversity that we will be able to encourage women’s participation in politics.
Youth Summit in Pictures
A Photographic Journey seeks to capture and convey the essence of the journey that participants of Youth Summit (YS) undergo to transform themselves from youth citizens on autopilot to socially-minded proactive citizens.
Covering three years (2017 – 2019), the picture story provides a visual narrative of the depth and context of the stories of change experienced by the participating youth. The picture story not only takes the viewers through the events, sessions and the interactions during the camp but also covers the self-directed initiatives undertaken by the participants after the camp. “After the Youth Summit, I started thinking and gained a lot more confidence. I started believing that I can contribute to society and that I can make a difference…,” said a YS participant, Rinchen.
Click here to enjoy the picture story: http://bcmd.bt/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Youth-Summit-Book-1.pdf
By Tempa Wangdi | Communication Officer
By Tempa Wangdi | Communications Officer
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