𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐎𝐟𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?

… 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑶𝒇𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔

By Krishna Kumar Sanyasi

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) took charge as the fourth elected government, promising in their manifesto to grant Saturdays off to teachers and students. They swiftly signed the executive order on day one. However, a mere month later, during the Meet the Press (MTP) session, the government acknowledged that principals had expressed concerns about the potential delay in completing the syllabus if Saturdays were designated as holidays.

“They shared that there is no time to conduct co-curricular activities like awareness and advocacy programs. It was also stated that it is difficult to fit in co-curricular activities during the weekdays when most of the classes take place. Most schools usually have co-curricular activities on Saturdays. Moreover, they also believe that schools with boarding facilities will also have a hard time monitoring the students if schools are closed on Saturdays,” said the Education and Skills Development Minister.

The only advantage the review committee stated was time for teachers to rest and attend to personal matters. The education minister said the decision will be taken considering the academic needs of the schools. “We need to find out more about it. I do not know how much time it will take. However, if we make a mistake from the start, there are approximately 180,000 students, and we might ruin their education. We want to keep Saturdays as holidays, however, thorough meetings, discussions, and research have to be done as it is an important policy for the future of youths,” said the Prime Minister.

As almost all the public schools don’t teach on Saturdays. Druk School, a private school in Thimphu, keeps Saturday off, and there is no grievance over the coverage of the syllabus, the conduct of co-curricular activities, or PT programs. These activities can be managed by creating a zero period. If Saturday is not kept off, then there will be no healthy social life for teachers and students. Teachers will be stressed and opt for better opportunities, ultimately leading to teacher shortages and the collapse of the system.”

A teacher from Punakha highlighted, “They said that the only reason to keep Saturday off was for teachers to get some rest. I think that reason alone suffices because, over the course of the week, teachers are overloaded with work (academics and extracurricular activities), and considering we do need a break, we should remember that there are two parties (students and teachers). However, often they forget to look after the welfare of the teacher.”

A teacher from Dagana added, “A day off can lead to increased productivity during the rest of the week, as both teachers and students have time to recharge and rejuvenate. It provides teachers and students with an additional day for rest, which can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being. It allows teachers to have more time for personal activities, family commitments, and professional development. It aligns with Bhutan’s cultural and religious practices, as Saturday is considered a significant day for religious observance and community activities. It can also benefit the local economy by providing opportunities for leisure activities and spending in the community on Saturdays.”

A teacher from Trashigang said, “Maintaining Saturday off could provide teachers with additional time for lesson planning and grading, leading to more effective teaching practice. It provides an opportunity to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with our families and friends. It contributes to improving student as well as teacher well-being by allowing a much-needed break from the academic routine, reducing stress and fostering a healthy work-life balance.”

A teacher from Zhemgang expressed, “There needs to be an amendment in the law to penalize parties for making false promises because that is unfair to the voters and public, and their fundamental rights seem to be misused in this case. However, regarding the issue of allocating Saturdays as school holidays, it would always be better to have more holidays. Teaching and learning have changed to more self-regulated and self-reflective learning, skills-oriented, wholesome approaches, the overall development of a child and educators, including mental wellbeing. Therefore, more time and personal space are needed for both educators to work on their peace of mind, personal and professional development, maybe a leisure time to read or play to maintain their body and mind fit and bring balance to their lives. That is what the philosophy of Buddhism supports- the middle path.”

“In the majority of government schools, there is a culture of having a mid-week reflection day on Wednesdays where hours allocated for classroom teaching are minimized and co-curricular activities are given priority. This is done so that academic pressure is reduced and educators and learners can focus on reflecting upon their academic pursuits and bring about innovation in their ways of learning and teaching. I believe the alternatives that I am suggesting will have a good impact on the mental state of the students and teachers, bringing in more relaxed and fruitful practical learning rather than a pressurized one, maybe less in quantity but more in quality. Therefore, this issue has many alternatives. If the government can think more aesthetically, in a broader picture, get into the shoes of learners and educators, and take into consideration the ground realities of the school systems, rather than taking it politically, beautiful things are possible. It is high time we turned away from traditional ways of learning as the world advances life-skill oriented education systems rather than eating up facts and figures,” he concluded.

The majority of students, voicing their collective discontent, have expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of educational matters. Their sentiments are clear: they believe that the government has failed to fulfill its responsibilities adequately. The excuses provided for not completing the syllabus are deemed inadequate, with students labeling them as feeble and unconvincing. The idea of monitoring a boarding school, especially on Saturdays, is dismissed as impractical and almost comical by these students.

Moreover, the students have highlighted the peculiarities of their weekly routine, focusing particularly on Saturdays as a day devoid of academic instruction. Instead, they are compelled to participate in what is termed socially useful productive work (SUPW). This arrangement has left many students disillusioned, leading to a significant number of students opting to skip classes altogether on Saturdays.

One student aptly articulated their frustration, stating, “During Saturdays, there is no teaching. We are assigned to work in designated areas for SUPW. Most students do not attend on Saturdays. If Saturdays were free, we could relax, spend time with family, and engage in physical activities like playing football, which is essential for our fitness.”
The government’s justification for monitoring boarding schools, especially on Saturdays, is met with skepticism and ridicule by the students. They perceive these justifications as weak and unsupported, viewing the authorities’ explanations as a flimsy attempt to validate intrusive oversight. The students question the necessity of such monitoring and criticize the lack of tangible benefits or educational value derived from these interventions.