LME Curriculum Review Meeting

A group, consisting of Dasho Pema Tinley, former vice-chancellor of Royal University of Bhutan (RUB); Dr Sonam Chuki, a curriculum developer with Royal Education Council (REC); Uma, the project manager of Kanishka School in Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Institute (DKCLI), Bir; Dasho Neten Zangmo, former Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative (SJI) Executive Director; Ms Jackie Mitchell, curriculum developer of LME; Dr Yang Gyeltshen, curriculum developer of LME; Lamas, khenpos, and lopons of Chokyi Gyatso Institute (CGI); Passang Lham Dorji, one of the Board members of Lhomon Society (LMS); and Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative (SJI) staff came together at CGI, Dewathang from 8^th – 15^th of May 2019 to review LME curriculum units.

The review meeting was organized into two phases. Phase one was five days of thorough reading and rationalizing of the LME Curriculum Framework and all the nineteen thematic units, which LME has developed and implemented with the monks of CGI in the LME program. There was an in-depth discussion on each of these units to bring in critical feedback and comments from the members and to include their wider experiences in the curriculum. The feedback and comments were recorded by the LME team in order that they can be integrated into the units by the end of June 2019.

The second phase included a one-day outreach program for local officials and two days of long-term planning for LME. The outreach program for local officials saw the participation of the Thromde Education Officer (TEO), principal of Samdrup Jongkhar Middle School, and teachers of Dewathang Primary School and Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde. The program was to share about Lhomon Education’s approach to alternative education and to discuss possible collaboration with the local education organization. It was also to learn from each other’s experiences through discussion and critical feedback.

The two days long term planning included discussion about collaboration and coördination, development of material resources and facilities, and professional and human resources development.