Those travelling from Trashigang (the far eastern province) to
the southern border province Samdrup Jongkhar, the only highway passes through
the small hamlet popularly known as Dewathang (the flat area of happiness)
which cannot be missed. It is a familiar place of historic significance
and a pleasant reminder for weary travellers that the business hub Samdrup
Jongkhar is not too far from this point on. I did know the small monastery
that existed above this settlement but never visited before. Those days,
the only noticeable objects were white prayer flags. From this same bus stop
now one can see the magnificent temple surrounded by a cluster of buildings
against the lush green hillock—Chokyi Gyatso Institute (CGI).
CGI—I came to know about this monastery being upgraded to the
present institute with its unfamiliar curriculum known as The Druk 3020 Curriculum. I
discovered it while Goodling for some information on meditation and mind training,
one of the pathways for Educating for Gross National Happiness (GNH). Out
of curiosity, I started reading this curriculum. It gave me not only the
information I was seeking but also some profound thoughts and inspiration about
holistic education, the theme I was working on for my doctoral
dissertation. In fact, this changed the course of my dissertation
proposal. I decided to trace the curriculum to its founding principles
and place—where it is being implemented, and that is how I landed at CGI.
The next day I joined Dawa to observe his class. After he
introduced me, the class began by reciting the Heart Sutra. This was my first time
hearing the Heart
Sutra being recited in English—quite unusual but
impressive. With much stress on some specific words, most read aloud and
all seemed excited reciting in English. This was followed by a few
minutes of meditation. Meditation is, in fact, one of the main focuses of
my study, and sure enough, I started paying full attention to see what goes on
in a meditation session. I was particularly interested to see meditation
in relation to classroom teaching and learning, in terms of focused attention,
wakefulness, information analysis and retention, and the like which meditation
is acclaimed for. To be able to see such outcomes, intense interactions
will be carried out in teaching the next unit, Air and Space. What follows are my prior
observations over the first couple of weeks:
Considering this act from one’s students, I thought it was a
significant gesture. Unless they had given some serious thought to what
they had overheard, they wouldn’t have done what they did. Such kind of
transformation is what I wish to see in students from what they hear in
classrooms. Could this be an impact of information analysis—a carryover
from meditation exercises—a sense of applied focus?
Likewise, another creative transformation students displayed was
after we had a session on Zero
Waste management from one of the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative staffs.
To reduce, reuse, and recycle waste was the
message. That session was specifically on how to reuse waste, for which
various examples such as how to make a T-Shirt
Bag, Umbrella Cushion, and Plastic
Broom was demonstrated.
The very next day I saw at least half a dozen of the students
carrying the t-shirt bag they made out of their old t-shirts. They found
this idea handy as many of them had old unused t-shirts. The t-shirt bags
became handy for carrying plates and cups to the dining and other play items
during the breaks. Some used their t-shirt bags for carrying classroom
materials as well.
For one boy, he didn’t just want to reuse the reuse ideas
demonstrated in the class. Instead, he demonstrated his own
innovation. When rest were working on the reuse ideas just demonstrated,
he had walked to a heap of broken electrical appliances and picked a part of a
broken fan. I saw only when he was hammering hard with a piece of plank
to pin some nails. He had no proper tool whatsoever. Next moment he
walked into the classroom using it as a Sang
Phob (incense burner). Whenever the classroom got damp
and humid, he would bring in the burning Sang (incense) to purify.
My overall impression of CGI was very favourable. While the above
examples are simple and anecdotal, for me, they affirmed the importance of
creating a learning environment that is inclusive, student-friendly and
conducive to creativity and self-expression—one that abides in mutual respect
and harmony for students and teachers alike—a true learning community.
Despite advocacy for such ideals, learning is often dominated by
fear, wariness, and concern for certain end results, as opposed to learning as
a process, fun, and wonder. For such ideas to take root in a learning
community, the foremost prerequisites I believe are mutual respect, trust,
care, and concern for each other, particularly between student and
teacher. I am impressed by the display of these qualities in both the
conduct and mannerisms of the students and teachers at CGI. The communal
peace and harmony is visible as well as felt. The young monks are as
comfortable as any other senior monk. For example, it is fun to watch
the little ones amongst the seniors in the playground and other communal
activities. Every young one is taken care of by one of the senior monks
who is referred to as Ata (big
brother). Ata plays the role of a mentor as well as a friend for the
young ones. CGI could be a living role model for an inclusive and
child-friendly school for the rest of Bhutan.
Contributed by Dr. Yang Gyeltshen
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