TP1f: With regard to infusing GNH in a school curriculum, I do not think it is a big concern because we have been practicing almost all the values throughout our school life even before it was declared that GNH would be infused in the curriculum we already had values classes, which dealt basically with almost all the values that are taught. The curriculum about values used to be conducted from classes as low as pre-primary class up to the highest class level. I can remember it was until class ten. So it is not a big concern in the curriculum.

TP2m: My concern here is in case of History and Geography I think we can infuse it very nicely, but when we teach Mathematics and when we teach IT/ICT, I do not feel it is that comfortable to infuse GNH in the curriculum. But I do not know how the IT teachers and Mathematics teachers are doing but in my case to infuse GNH, I hardly have any ideas about how to infuse with the topic of mathematics. For example, if we are performing a mathematical operation such as the addition and subtraction or any other operation of Mathematics, we hardly have any ideas about how to infuse GNH principles into them.  But in between topics I usually make a point to tell the students about the GNH and about the four pillars.

TP6f: Yes because if you are not relating GNH values with the lesson topic, I think our children will not learn what they are about. For example, I am teaching Mathematics and whenever I say to the children, ok we have already learned the chapter on fractions and are this information that you learned in fractions used in everyday situations? When I have asked this question students are often not able to tell me the answer. So every time I teach a topic, I relate it to a value, and indicate which value we have learned from this topic. Every day we are using those GNH values. It is important to relate GNH values with our lessons.  Lesson plans as such are not kept but we have a format in our lesson plan, so that every time we teach we mention the related value in our lesson plan.

TP5m:  I do not think we can infuse GNH into all lessons. This is especially so when teaching Mathematics as it becomes quite difficult and very rarely can we infuse values into these lessons. I think if we try just infusing values I do not think we can teach the topics, especially in mathematics properly. Sometimes we may just unnecessarily spend our time trying to infuse a value instead of teaching a mathematical concept in the lessons. When we are planning lessons we have to try to figure out what value we can insert into the lessons. Sometimes it becomes really difficult.

TP3m: There are some problems. For example, we were talking a lot about GNH values and we were given some sort of training in the beginning in the school in the form of Professional Development by some trained teachers.  But in reality when we try to implement GNH in the classroom situation, sometimes we find problems.  I am teaching the subject Geography in class 10 and 12 and sometimes 11. For example, the class 10 syllabus is too vast and furthermore that same syllabus has been taught since I was at school. There have not been any major changes in the syllabus, and right now we are teaching something which is not important to our students such as information about other countries, such as coco cultivation, rubber cultivation, and about desserts, which is not that relevant to the situation of our country. The syllabus is too vast, and furthermore we have to complete our syllabus in a given time. To infuse GNH effectively, the syllabus needs to have a less content and we need to teach the subject in such a way that is very interesting so that students can learn in a very effective way and can also perform better. 

TP4f: Actually we always have included values, when we teach English values are included in stories and poems. It is not something new to us. Yes it is of concern, especially in our subject when we teach values dealing with short stories.

TP8f: I think we have been infusing GNH values in curriculum in every subject. If I talk about my own subject and about the class 9 syllabus itself, the very first topic we teach about is GNH where we talk about when this topic was first who propounded and who created the idea.  If we examine class ten syllabuses there is more of comparison between GNH and GDP. In class 12 it is the same, with a whole chapter devoted to GNH. In one way or another, we are inculcating GNH but in certain subjects like Mathematics there are different ways to inculcate GNH like problem solving, critical thinking, however, there will be some mathematics teachers who say that it is very difficult to inculcate. So it is an issue of concern. Moreover, whoever teaches classes 11 and 12 have to comply with the syllabus so sometimes the infusion of GNH is really hard for them. Since I teach secondary school classes it is difficult for me to cope with the content of the syllabus. 

TP7m: I think I would say yes as well as no. It depends on whether the school has plans and programs that include trying to infuse such values into the classrooms. Where people and schools lack resources, or where people or schools do not have good policies I think it is still an issue because the teachers are already bogged down with lots of activities. We are so much over burdened. Talking about the educating for GNH and infusing GNH values into the school curriculum looks like an additional burden. In this regard GNH infusion is an issue because we have to think about many more things that may be useful for the students. However it looks like GNH is also important and that we should try and infuse such values into the lessons, especially if you want to influence the students so as to achieve a happy society in the future. Teaching on a needs basis is very important, but no matter what we should try and teach GNH, but if you see other side of the argument it is still a burden and still an issue.

TP10m: Actually infusing is not that much of a concern but the concept of GNH does not relate with the Science lessons that we teach in the class. Only sometimes when we are teaching about the environment we can infuse GNH, or when we teach about biodiversity, ecosystems, we can also infuse the issue, but when we teach about molecules and so on, there is no way we can infuse the GNH values. Of course in some examples, maybe we can provide some guidance but again we are bogged down by the syllabus, the vastness of syllabus. We cannot just pause and think of how to relate the concept of GNH to the topic of the lesson. I mean we cannot always bring the concept of GNH into the class. Our syllabus is so vast and we provide GNH information only if it is related to the topic. We get stressed, and tell them some GNH information about the environment, health, and planting of trees, photosynthesis and so on. GNH values are available, but in terms of teaching science, we are totally focusing on a different level like chemical reactions and so on. So, we cannot include the GNH values unless the topic is related to GNH. For example, if I teach about environment, I can relate the environment with a GNH concept. Second is the vastness of the syllabus.  We have a tight schedule because the number of periods to complete the syllabus is very restricted. So, we cannot even think of straying away from the scientific concept that we are supposed to be teaching in the class. In lower classes we can always relate topics to GNH because they have more time. They can always talk about and relate the lessons to GNH, but in higher grades, especially in class ten, the number of periods we were given to teach and the vastness of the syllabus, makes our schedule so tight that we cannot think of something which is not related to the actual syllabus topics. 

TP9f: Exactly, it should not be an issue of concern, I mean the thing is it may not be possible to infuse GNH in each and every lesson in all the subjects but to infuse is not a problem. What I meant to say is infusing is not a problem but infusing in all the subjects may be a problem. For instance, in math lessons the infusing of GNH values may not be easy. Similarly in some of the science lessons also like Chemistry and Physics infusing would be difficult but in some parts of Physics may be possible to infuse.

TP11m: Yes integrating the GNH values into the curriculum is an issue of concern to me and as well as my other friends. Firstly, GNH is our national policy and we are focusing on it too much in our school, in another way I feel that they are directly pressurising the teachers to infuse GNH without any knowledge and without any workshop being oriented to teaching us. They are directly telling us that we have to infuse this GNH concept and we are forced to do that. So, because of that I am little bit disagreeable with this policy that is infusing GNH in our school. A simple example is these days they are asking us to reflect on what are the same lesson plans that we have been doing before, only now they are just trying to change by asking us to reflect on what GNH values we are infusing. The difference is we are there reflecting but in the actual field what is happening is that what we do is never monitored and never studied. So, they are just allowing us to write GNH into our plans and that is where the idea remains, on the paper. So, in short what I meant to say is firstly, it is a national policy and if you really wanted this to happen in school is firstly, the teachers are the main tools who will be working with the GNH and children. Teachers should be oriented properly. They should know what actually it is and how to carry out and how to use the values. 
TP12f: To me I think to implement GNH in the curriculum is good but again we are using this GNH in our classroom not directly, while teaching it comes automatically while teaching English lessons in or in any of the subjects. Suppose, when we are teaching English literature, sometimes GNH comes out of a story or some essays so all that time we are automatically infusing the GNH values or the morals that come across from these stories in the lessons. That way I think it is good to have GNH but not as a separate subject we are not going to teach GNH in the class. We are infusing GNH values when we teach. Indirectly we are using that strategy not directly. 
TP1f: As we plan our lesson we can infuse the values that are there indicated in GNH. If you are planning lesson in for example, Science that I teach day to day, then if students are learning about their personal hygiene then we can inculcate the value of GNH. Values like taking care of themselves, respecting their personal hygiene. So, most of the lessons already have values but then I cannot always say that all the lessons we teach that we can integrate all the values in all the lessons in GNH. Maybe a few values can be incorporated within the lessons.  When we do the activities even starting from the lesson introduction and then throughout the development of the lesson we have values ingrained or when we provide activities for the children we can specifically develop the content in such a way that the values can be inculcated. 

TP2m: In case of our school we have an electronic lesson plan format, which shows  a lot of information such as teaching strategies and GNH values, so when we click on lesson plan they are revealed. So, if I request my friends to do lesson plans, I may ask them to use that format and as far as possible use that values which are given there in the form. Click on the website and there they are the GNH values.  
TP6f: Many of us have not had a meeting as such or even attended a workshop for GNH education. Only when I was at Phuntsholing I attended a GNH workshop for one week. But, how we are going to relate these GNH values to our topic we didn’t learn about them. So, most of us are engaging in discussion in our staff room whenever we plan the lesson. What GNH values we are going to put in the topic. When we ask this question what I do is I include the practical applications of that topic. At the same time our academic head has already circulated the different types of values that we use in our topic, so we are given that information. We discuss the given values and select the appropriate values, which are related to the lesson topic and if there are none then we include the GNH values that we know. 

TP5m: I have been teaching Maths and for us it becomes really difficult. So, there are times when we find their inclusion really difficult. From my perspective I do not know about other subjects how they include them but for math it is really difficult. I cannot advise other friends either because in Maths we find really difficult. Especially in lower classes, in problem solving exercises sometimes there are chances of teaching some values of GNH, but really when we go to higher classes especially classes seven and eight we have very limited time because we have to finish the syllabus. We have to do corrections and during this I forget almost every time about values. We write them in the lessons, not to forget but we cannot write a specific value in every lesson, especially in Maths, however, we have been given the liberty to leave out values on various occasions, from the management. We cannot write GNH values in every lesson plan. We are not forced to have such as “you should have values in lessons” it is not like that. Of course there is a policy but the management says it is not possible to write value every time in every lessons.

TP3m: Firstly, for example if we really want to infuse GNH in classroom teaching. You would firstly ensure lesson content is not to be too detailed, too boring or monotonous. The lesson should be made very interesting and at the same time there should also be students taking part and given a chance to express their views and opinions. There needs to be a two way exchange, and not like only teachers teaching and students just listening or watching like. Whenever we are teaching in the classroom students should be allowed to express their views and raise their opinion and ask questions. Not like that old tradition way of teaching like chalk and blackboard only. We have to teach in such a way that teaching becomes very interesting. You have to use various kinds of techniques of teaching like using audio-visuals and various other practices, like taking teaching outside, fieldtrips and so on.
TP4f: From in my subject English, as I mentioned earlier we have always had values because every story has a value and there is something good positive to teach so if I was telling another English teacher, especially a new a novice teacher I would tell them to emphasize the value, what moral is the story teaching; or what moral is the poem teaching. So it is necessary to concentrate on that.

TP8f: I think in my own subject we have one topic.  When we present a problem to solve in mathematics, while attempting to solve it, first the teachers give an example and the teacher gives the question so when we give this question we are inculcating the life skill, whereby we have critical thinking. So, the students are made to do a brain storming activity about how to go about the problem and then when we go about numerically, it can be directly interrelated with an outside world scenario where numerical calculations can be associated with day to day life events. Then finishing the question on time can also be likened to one of the four life skills. Sometimes in subjects like English we have one life skill, termed, empathy. That concept can be inculcated through literature. Presentations for example can develop communication skills amongst students.   

TP7m: I would not say steps as such but as practiced in the school, a number of lessons that we teach in the school sometimes have some good GNH values. We just try to include them even in our lesson plan and we have kept to a format whereby there is a place where we have to mention GNH values. We do not have any real activity designed purposefully for teaching GNH but we always have provision to talk a bit about what that lesson tried to touch on about a particular GNH value. So, that is what we are doing at the least. Yes, I would advise my friend to follow that because that’s the easiest thing we can do, we can at least mention in our lesson that we have touched on a particular GNH value. It provides a kind of a reminder to us. We often forget actually most of the time. As we are engrossed in many aspects of teaching, the fact is that and if we do not mention values in our plan then there is every chance that we might forget to include this aspect. 

TP10m: I would like to say that we are totally focusing on the subject content as the major emphasis in teaching. I mean the lessons, which we are going to teach include the topics related to environment, biodiversity, religion and customs then yes we can totally focus on values.  However, our teaching of concepts has to be related to the GNH values we infuse. We cannot bring in the GNH values all of suddenly into the middle of the lesson saying this is environment, this is GNH. Such an approach will bring confusion to the students. First thing I would like to say is that the topic, which we teach in the class, should be related to GNH. Only then we as teachers can relate these GNH values to students and make them realize that it is very important to practice the GNH values. We cannot teach the GNH values all the time. We teach wherever the topics are relevant to the GNH values. Second thing is including GNH into higher classes is a little impractical. But in lower classes it is feasible because we can provide advice that relates to the GNH concepts, but in the higher classes we do not get that much time to give them advice. As soon as we enter into the class, we start teaching.

TP9f: It could be through the activity itself, maybe the activities would be designed in such a way that there is a GNH value being infused or it can be through questioning besides just focusing only on the question given in the textbooks and so on. Maybe we can include broad questions, which will help to include the concept of GNH. Questioning and activities and sometimes even the extended activities can be given at the end of the lessons. Maybe sometimes, like towards when the closure of the lesson is being undertaken the lesson’s summary could include aspects that relate to the GNH. In the activities, questioning and closure parts of the lessons, we can relate it to the GNH values.

TP11m: Ok, I am a science teacher and if I may relate to the science subject, I too believe that teacher centred approach is an outdated one. Student centred teaching would be a better approach. So, if any teachers ask me to plan a lesson about infusing GNH values, I would recommend planning a lesson where students are involved. There many values and domains will be included. 

TP12f: That depends on what topic he or she teaches. We can teach students how to preserve our nature and what sort of benefits we are getting from the nature. We should be able to infuse the values that we have to take care of the nature, creativity, how to plant flowers, what are the effects to us. If we plant certain trees, what benefits we are going to get. Teaching in that way, we can provide GNH values to kids. The child should be able to understand the value of the plant. We get so many benefits from plants. For example, paper comes from the plant, medicine, income, cloth and even the three basic necessities we get food, cloth and shelter. These three ideas we should be able to infuse them in students. I will ask my friends to put these three basic needs in their lesson plans. 

TP1f: These days we are actually asked to reflect whatever values we can have in every lesson that we teach and then we try and look for as many values as we can and then we do plan our lessons. 

TP2m: Yes, I follow the format and also we infuse a little bit if possible when we are planning it. To elaborate we have teaching skills, teaching of values and attitudes. There are so many of these available when we click online on the school website, we get a list of values, on this format it is there. And also there are evaluation techniques and lesson summaries. They are there when we click on the lesson components. And also are life skills, critical thinking they are all there on the electronic document. We are using this system. GNH values are available all here. It is accessible to the teachers, yes.

TP6f: We do lot of preparation. Sometimes if I am lost for words putting GNH values in the lessons then I search in Google. On Google there is so much information so then I choose one value and I use it in the lessons. I also get other ideas from teachers with whom I discuss alternatives.

TP5m: We simply write down the particular domain of that GNH value. In a lesson plan we have a format where we can show it, and we just note it there. We have identity, justice, corporations, and problem solving. These are the values we have in our lesson components. In a lesson plan we have space where we can write GNH values. So, we just write it there. During the lessons when we go into the class we just see that written value and we try to remind the class about values. Note that it is not possible to follow up in every lesson. When the opportunity arises, whether it is in the class, outside while playing, working and sometimes in the class we do teach values to kids. But it is not possible to always follow up because we have to focus on the lessons more, not the values. Because in Maths what we have to do is teach and sometimes we have demonstrated by example how to solve mathematical problems and after finishing that, we have to give class work, then we have follow up and do corrections and we do not have much time. If we come across particular values and if we have a chance to relate them to the students then sometimes values are evaluated, but not otherwise. 

TP3m: Actually, this is exactly how I do it. I have been teaching using an audiovisual approach since 2010. I teach classes ten and twelve. In 2010, the school brought its first projector, which was supplied for use in our lab, so I started using it until 2011 when it was damaged. Then I brought my own projector which I am still using. In the Geography laboratory, I am teaching almost 85% of the time using audio-visual. To make an audio-visual lesson is not an easy task and what’s more these Geography lessons I have also circulated to many of my colleagues who are teaching Geography in other parts of the country like Jakar and Trongsa where colleagues take my lessons, but I don’t know the extent to which they are carrying out the audio-visual teaching approach. All I know is that it is a difficult process as they need a projector and gaining access to one is a difficulty as is in setting it up. Here also we have some colleagues who whenever I ask them to carry out an audiovisual lesson they find difficulty in setting up in the classroom. They are aware that almost everything is there in the textbook, the content. For example, if we have to teach rubber cultivation and Masihadas in class ten, if we teach from the textbook, the students will have to use their imagination to determine what kind of people these Masihadas are, for example what they look like, because if you refer to the pictures in the textbook they are very old and faded. But with audiovisual images the students are presented with a different appreciation. To prepare the audio visuals I used to go home and browse pictures and I have to even download some documentaries, short clips related to the people’s lifestyles, about their animals and I have inserted the picture into my teaching aids and I have them to show on the screen.

TP4f: It is nothing really particular, for us it comes so naturally because it is there, we just have to mention the value in the lesson plan during the planning stage, so like for example, it is something to do with patriotism then we just mention that love for country or sharing or commitment or something like that so we just mention it and we emphasize that concept at the end of the lesson and also after we have done with the specific teaching topic.

TP8f: Yes, the very first thing we as teachers do in the class is about GNH. GNH refers wellbeing, balance between spiritual and happiness. So the very first thing we do when we enter into the classroom is close our eyes and engage in mindfulness practice that is something that is associated with teaching and is conducted before the start of every lesson. In morning assembly, we have one student who comes to the  front and makes us to practice mindfulness prior to going to the classroom. Environment is a cause of concern and we do practice through morning social work (SUPW). We engage students in cleanliness. In our school we have a school agriculture program (SAP) that involves discussions about sustainability. That is how we promote GNH. After school we introduced the driglam namzha (social etiquette) program. The teachers teach about our own culture and that is also how we cope with GNH. If we talk about the concept like profit in Economics what actually we do is talk about the cut through competition, when we talk like that we are forgetting the human values, and so in the end when we wind up the lesson I make sure that the students understand that one of ideas that we Bhutanese follow is the concepts of GNH. That means in one way we want to make a profit but other side it is the welfare of people that is more important. For example if we manipulate the price, by talking about the quality of product, sometimes we try to cheat. So if you are in Bhutan, using GNH principles we do not talk about cheating somebody or something. Here there is infusing of the values that we have to follow through GNH. Sometimes I think that when we talk about a concept like globalization, and we talk about copying the lifestyle of others to demonstration a particular point I acknowledge the idea that despite the fact that we do copy others, but I indicate that at the same time we have to maintain the culture of our own country. So, then I reiterate by saying that our culture is the most important.

TP7m: I follow the format provided by the school but not every time. It depends on the topic that you teach. It is not always possible to teach GNH values in every lesson. 

TP10m: Yes, I do plan and teach GNH values whenever I have relevant topics. To do this every time in every lesson, infusing is not feasible. 

TP9f: I teach Biology and environmental science. I follow the process and strategies that I talked about. I infuse GNH values into the lessons wherever possible. In previous years we did not do this, but since this year we have started to write a GNH lesson objective. In one component part of the lesson planning form is the GNH value. In my lessons, I have put the GNH value at the end of the lesson plan. After teaching the lesson I just mention which GNH value was inculcated or touched upon during the lesson. In that way we are doing it and we are including the value discussion at the closure part of the lesson. 

TP11m: Directly or indirectly there are many GNH values. GNH domains will be included. For example, when I say that there should be involvement of students in my teaching, I would be framing activities where there is more student involvement in activities. In this way they will learn from each other, peer work will be there, group discussion will be there, cooperation among them will be there, how to work with friends will be there, and how to finally come up with a point for discussion will be there. So, finally many values and domains will be evident. I infuse GNH values when I do these activities. However, I feel that it is not necessary to tell it is ok I am letting you do a group discussion and this is to build up cooperation among yourselves. So it is not important for me to inform them however, directly or indirectly it is happening. In the lesson plan I have to mention the GNH values because I am forced to do that. They say that we should be infusing. If you see my lesson plan, you will see a one column where domains or GNH values are written. 

TP12f: I have my topic, introduction, objectives and so on. I have already indicated that I do not have separate plan and objective for GNH. I always only include my lesson plan. In class four, I am teaching science, in this class the main topic is about the source of light. It comes from the sun and everybody knows that. But if there is no sun for a day, what will happen. I think we have to throw this question to students also. The sun is there so all living things are here. That is also the value we have to infuse to the students because they are very small, they have not matured they don’t know how plants create food. We infuse this one idea into the students. As such I don’t have lesson objective for the value. While teaching when the idea of a value presents itself, I don’t leave it to chance, I impart the value to the students. 

TP1f: During our planning period only we prepare and try to develop activities that include as many GNH values as we can. This is also true for questions, where we try to also integrate these values. The soft copies already have values with which we are provided, and all the GNH values are already there, al we have to do is to click and insert. As I enter the class I write the topic and then the GNH value that is going to be emphasized during that topic. As we proceed with the lesson we try to go back to the value and then say this is the value that we are dealing with in this topic. In every lesson I have tried and inserted the GNH values. Not only me almost all the teachers insert the values in their lessons. It has been made mandatory by the school. When we were given GNH-based in-service programs, the main point of the program was how to insert the values and now it has become mandatory for every teacher to write the values and follow up on those values during the course of the lessons.

TP2m: Yes we do, and sometimes if time permits we do a short meditation session and then we make them clean the rooms, then we make them stretch. We make them get ready for the lesson before we go to the lesson and also we check how many are absent, how many are genuinely absent, how many are on leave, how many have bunked school. We check all this and we have the record information in the logbook. As far as possible, if the lesson topic is related, we make sure that we tell them for example if it is about the forest, like preservation of environment we make sure that we tell them as far as possible. Sometimes if we do not come across any suitable topic at the end or in the middle sometimes we remember to tell them about the GNH and Tha damtse Ley Jumdrey (interdependence and cause and effect) and actually we are reminded when students do not listen, when students look here and there, we sometimes end, up telling them some values and about Tha damtse Ley Jumdrey.

TP6f: In this whenever I teach in the classroom, firstly I just give general questions before I introduce the topic. Then what they usually do is for example, if we are discussing fractions I might say if you have a one bottle of water, and if all the family members want to drink the water how much water will you drink, so I tell them that is sharing. Then when it comes to the lesson I tell them we are going to learn, starting from one whole part, I then divide the lesson into many parts, so I tell them part of the whole is a fraction when I introduce the lesson. I follow up on the lessons every time.

TP5m: I think if we make compulsory it is not possible as I told you, but it is good if we infuse the GNH values into the lessons wherever possible. It will be helpful for the students. If you make it compulsory to infuse values in every lesson is not possible. I have been teaching Maths for long time, about 20 years. To include values in every lesson is not possible. 

TP3m: I go to Google and browse through the information about content and wherever possible I insert the GNH values into the lesson plans. I infuse those values while teaching and remind them this is the GNH value and so on. 

TP4f: I have been teaching for so long now, so I do not know how I feel, like for us and especially for me it’s nothing really. It is as if we do not really have to take that extra step. The situation may not be like this in teaching Maths or something like that where we may need to change the language of the problems so that they can teach kids values, but for us it comes so naturally that I do not know how to express it. However, a long time back we had values education as a separate subject, I do not know if you remember, but during that time we had the principal then another woman and myself plan some lessons on values so that we did it separately, we had as I remember a green book we referred to that then we came up with separate lesson just like values, but it was such a long time ago. Now unfortunately we do not have value education classes any more but having those classes was very useful and I thought personally it was very useful especially for the lower level classes who needed that education.

TP8f: Sometimes we do not follow the instructions when we teach class 10 and 12, this is especially so when I am teaching these grades. I directly go to the class and I think writing notes is more important, so what I want to teach I highlight in the board. Then I introduce the topic. Sometime during the lesson I make the students close their eyes to reflect about what we have learned. After that I directly start teaching and sometimes I do not get time to talk about GNH. Moreover, I have some topics directly related to GNH, such as the difference between economic development and growth and during this time I talk about GNH and sometimes there are some topics, as I said previously about profit for example I also take about the government budget and how you have to be transparent and accountable. When we talk about public goods and merit goods (personal goods), I think it is directly related to GNH for instance the government gives us a lot of goods, but the students do not cherish this notion very much so by promoting particular values, the idea is passed on to the younger generations to come. Sometimes I tell them that they should think about the future needs of the students. They should take care of their own goods. Frankly I do not get time to always talk about GNH values.

TP7m: As we go through the particular topic we want to plan for the day and as we read and plan we will know on occasions that this topic has a particular GNH value. We just mention the notion and we just need to elaborate on this concept a bit in the class, so basically it just becomes a part the lesson. Since this topic is not going to be included in the exam, we would like to hope that these small bits and pieces that we teach will help them instill these values apart from what they prepare for their exams and the class, only in way do we help with values.  With reference to the topic being non-examinable I think one day in future if you really want to infuse such values systematically into the minds of our young children. It would appear that for students to take it seriously I think an exam might help them. We can make this a compulsory subject, which might help because we Bhutanese have an attitude that if something is not given a weighting of value via an examination, people do not care much about it. We would like to hope that one day this would happen. Definitely I would recommend that to have an assessment for the GNH values.  I do not think people here are very serious about infusing the GNH values to speak frankly. 

TP10m: The first thing I do is see if the topic is a GNH related topic then I will tick it off in the program that there is a GNH concept with values, life skills and values that they have learned in the class, along with what the textbook has got to offer. I will just mark it off in the corner. In the process of teaching, I will also try to teach in the same way that I teach and relate with the GNH values. In addition, in the process of teaching these things I will always stress that teaching is not only happening within the four boundaries and ends with the textbook, but teaching is something more than that. Students do not come just to learn what is printed on the textbook, coming to school is something more than that. They have to learn values and know about the GNH. I always stress this concept. 

TP9f: Sometime in the introduction, instead of directly introducing the topic, we do question time. Maybe sometime I tell a story about an incident which is related to the topic that also has a certain link with the GNH values. That’s how we do it. We have daily lesson planning and it concept is included in the plan. For example, what I am going to teach tomorrow I am planning today. About GNH, it is not like GNH values are ‘do this and do that’ but we relate the lesson topic to a GNH value at the closure of the lessons. By looking at the lessons, we can make out what type of value convey to the children, which value I taught in the lessons I mention this at the end of the lessons.  In the lesson plan we particularly do not mention stating what the actual GNH value is or how I am going to teach that concept. Of course the lessons will be based on the particular topic but we bring out the values at the end of the lessons. 

TP11m: As I said, I am a science teacher, usually in science there are many activities, like how an experiment should be carried out. I am very happy especially during the last few years. The DCRD now REC has come up with a new science curriculum. We have the latest curriculum, which I am very happy with. The previous curriculum was really outdated and this new one is up to the mark. If we go through that framework, go through the text books and manual, learning about how to carry out and how to do teach activities, I have concluded the writers have done a thorough job of including everything that is necessary. How I teach always involves planning. In our school, we are very lucky that we have Lab Assistant to assist me.  So, if there is any activity to be carried out I just inform him, and the lab will be ready and I arrive and my lesson goes on. 

TP12f: Before writing a lesson plan, I go through the lesson in my head. I will just go through the manuals, what they prescribe and some ideas I delete and some I add myself from the environmental events around me, this is the way I plan. I go through the plan and after that I impart the knowledge to the students. We naturally have follow up sessions, we ask some questions and we ask the students if there is a particular problem we would ask how would they approach it, but to the lower classes this approach is difficult for classes below class four. Some of the class four students are intelligent and they share their ideas.

TP1f:  We sometimes and we have to and if we work as a school level monitor then we have to go and observe our fellow teacher’s lesson. It is mandatory for the first unit at least one lesson and for the second term at least one lesson. That time I have seen I friends practicing these values same as me. They have indicated in the lesson plan first and then tried to talk about it during the course of the teaching and provide activities to students based on these values. 

TP2m:  We have a monitoring system. Under me there are three. When I go through their lesson plans, they do have some GNH values infused in the lesson planning and when I observe some of the lessons, I see them doing it as per the lesson or sometimes they also as I told before whenever they come across situations they do infuse GNH in the teaching process.
TP6f: Yea, by looking at the plan only. Whenever I have problems I used to refer their notes, their lesson plans. That time if I find that planning is very creative and then I used to copy from there and I used to use that. 
TP5m: As a monitor it is must to observe the class as I am one of the subject monitors. I have four friends under me. It is same thing. All my friends’ lessons that observe are the Maths lessons. We use the same format. Wherever there is possibility they infuse the GNH values into their lessons. In their lessons they just write down those values and remind those values during the lessons.
TP3m: I am also the HOD of Geography. Now they are not able to carry out the lessons exactly that I do but of course they are also including GNH in their lessons like with the starting the lessons, especially when I go for observation I don’t know  whether they do it other time or not but when I go for observation they do very seriously. For example, before starting the lessons, we have at least two to five minutes mind training so that the students will be calm and quiet and there is asking questions also and there is role play also and students are asked questions and they are given some reinforcements like clapping and students are made happier and also whenever the topic is taught and whatever topic that is taught, the teachers also trying to relate into their real life. That can be useful not just for the bookish learning but also in their real life later. For example they are learning about something else that will help them in long life also.

TP4f: I am not the Head of the Department (HOD) so I do not do any observation, but I think it is very similar to how I do it, it just comes naturally with the lesson so that we talk about that, we discuss things then we have a debate at the end of the lesson. So we find out whether you should you do this or that and what should you do.  If you were acting as the character, what would you do, so you are role playing? I think teachers end up infusing values into the lessons.

TP8f: My friend she teaches History, and I just went to her class. She made the students work on the GNH four pillars. Among the four pillars the topics were divided and students were asked in each pillar how to maintain sustainability. Students were using chart papers to explain about how to go about the task. I think teachers just go and teach. They know that they are inculcating life skills among the students. The domains are there. But they are also not aware that they are being taught. I think in mathematics the critical thinking and decision making is there but we do not get time to teach in the values domain. Sometime in certain subjects like Economics, History they directly talk about the GNH values every time but other subjects especially Science I think they don’t have time.

TP7m: As I said that as part of our school management, we have designed lesson plans. We do not like to pressurize teachers who are already burdened, but at least we have made it compulsory. We have kept a space in the lesson plan just to reflect the GNH values in the plan. Even that aspect is not compulsory because we will have to see what chapters we are teaching. It is very difficult even for teachers to identify a fixed GNH value. How many teachers are well trained about this GNH values?  At times we even get confused but I think any good value that we can find in the lessons can be a GNH value. Anything good that you can teach, but still it is an extra burden to identify that lesson and put it into words. We at times feel that there are many values, but to shape that value so it fits the lesson is very difficult. We find it very difficult but honestly we try and mention whatever we can identify, whatever we feel like talking about it and this is what other teachers are doing.  With regard to school policy at the moment we are in the design stage, we are in the process of designing the latest school policy in which we are going to include GNH but if we refer to past school policies we do not have a written policy on this GNH thing, but in future surely it is going to be there. At least for now we have started with the creation of a space in the lesson plan pro forma. 

TP10m: First, I have to check their lesson plans as monitor and see whether all the lesson components are there or not. In the last phase they have return with the GNH concepts to be taught in the classrooms. There they have written the GNH values. In the process of teaching, sometimes they try to relate when they reach that topic. If the concept is suitable and related to the GNH values then they stress this while teaching the lesson. 

TP9f: I do not know about other subjects but especially in the science department we do and normally we follow that same format. We have made it uniform. So, they are doing it but I do not know whether all the other teachers do it, but in our Department we do. All the teachers are supposed to follow the format and it is mandated by the school. 

TP11m: Again when you say whether teachers are planning their lessons or not, again I would say that teachers have no time to plan for the lessons. If you see the time tables, if you see the workload, we are so overloaded to be frank but still many want us to say that we have lesson plans and we do the lesson planning. In the school to be frank we do not have time. Teachers are never allowed to teach. We are asked to give more importance to other activities other than teaching. Four to five years of teaching experience, even without plan a I can go and teach because I have been teaching that subject, but when they allow us new activities where Dzongkhag, I mean when there is a new curriculum schools are the first to try trial and error methods in the school. They come there and they instruct the teachers. So, with this in mind I inform our teachers if they attend conferences that it is important emphasise my point, that is let the teachers teach. Teachers should not be overloaded with other activities. So, from my point of view I feel that teachers should teach, give them enough time to plan the lessons. At home they have their own work. If I had time I would love to plan here. Many colleagues will be there to help me. Many senior teachers are there to help me. I can always ask them. I can always seek help from them. When we are overloaded, how can others expect us to do our daily plan and go to the class and teach effectively? Along with the content goes the value. We are Bhutanese. We want our children to shine in the future. We want them to behave properly. Respect parents, teachers and country, so, directly or indirectly, values are included. Whatever good values we see and do, we share them, in and around we always share them. 

TP12f: Sometimes teachers sit together and they plan their own lessons because our subject does not match with mine so they plan on their own. In our school we do planning at school and whenever we have free period. I will be busy doing my own lesson planning and making teaching aids and so on. I usually sit in library and do the work. Others do planning also, but I do not know much about how they plan their lessons. 

TP1f: When I was teaching a lesson in Science about the topic of reflection, my GNH value was accuracy. Children were asked to draw the reflections of an image in a plain mirror and then I told them since our value is accuracy of reflected rays they draw have to be very accurate. That was one lesson I used for accuracy. We also do dramatization and when I was teaching about global warming I had asked my students to dramatize how global warming takes place and during that time students had to empathize what is happening to the earth and they have to reflect on how our activities are going to impact global warming as a whole. That time I was using empathy as one of the values through dramatization. If we are using all these values consciously then probably we can use them otherwise, I do not think they are applicable in all the situations. Especially we are teaching an English lesson or History lesson, maybe we can make use of many of the values, but while teaching Science and Mathematics, sometimes we find it very difficult to integrate GNH values. The curriculum actually is still the same curriculum that we have always used in the past. It does not indicate any values there. We have to find them, on our own and we have to try and implement whatever values we can integrate. If we had a readymade inclusive curriculum then it would be very convenient for the teachers, but since it is not, the teachers do not have really lot of time reflect on what they are going to teach, how they are going to incorporate these values, sometimes it becomes quite difficult for us to incorporate values into the lessons. Relating to the use of dramatization, it can be very important. It helps students to retain knowledge better but the disadvantage of it is it takes lot of time. We cannot use these types of approaches most of the time since our curriculum itself is quite vast and we have lot of teaching periods. Moreover the number of students in the class is also huge with almost 40 to 45 students in a classroom. So because of that it is not always possible to do dramatization.
TP2m: We use mostly questioning, a student centred approach making them understand the topic, then rules and regulations in case of Mathematics. In case of other subjects I do not know. So, I make sure that I teach them the concept before I give them rules and regulations. In the case of mathematics this is followed by rules and regulations and then followed by some examples how to solve the problem. I feel this is not a teacher centred, it is a student centred. Sometimes it is not possible with Mathematics but in between as I said before, when some situations arise we do stories and also like our Bhutanese sayings. All these approaches I use sometimes. In case of our situation, usually when the teachers talk a lot, students have short listening attention span, they look here and there and if after we have said something if they repeat it again I feel they learn more.
TP6f: Sharing and competency for the consumer may be a problem after they finish their education. Competency in the sense of how to calculate, how to be a very good shopkeeper, like how to gain the profit, etc. These are very important and whatever students learn they should know that those lessons have values. I am now realizing that in our time we have learned topics but we were not able to relate those into our daily life activities. If our teachers taught us how we are teaching now then we would have been better in knowing how to relate the values into our daily activities. 

TP5m: Sometimes we just give an example or sometimes we demonstrate it. A simple example is softness.  If we say come here (in loud voice) or please come (in soft tone), this is an example we can relate to the children.  Tone matters a lot thought the meaning is the same. This is one example that I use sometimes to teach values. We solve the examples. We demonstrate it. Sometime we just ask questions and group work and problem solving. In problem solving sometimes we have a story, which we can use it even in Maths. In every lesson we do not adopt a problem solving approach of course but it is good to have problem solving so that we can relate it. 
TP3m: Sometimes we also take our students for field trips. Especially my subject Geography for example like I take students to Serbithang, Yusipang. For example class 12 arts, are learning about horticulture, livestock, when we take them there, they learn more actually. Because they see whatever that is shown in the textbook, in reality. At the same time, whenever we go there we also meet the experts. They ask lots of questions and they understand because they are the experts. When they go outside for fieldtrips they learn more because it becomes more realistic. The descriptions which are given in the textbook are very limited and outdated but if they meet the experts in the field, students get the latest information. Fieldtrips are very important. School assessment criteria are from the Thromdey (municipal education office). If the teachers in school do not take students for fieldtrips, for that we are given low rating by Thromdey officials. However, there are problems while taking students for fieldtrips. Student class sizes are very large here. If we have to take one class ten, every class ten section have to be taken. We have eight sections of class ten. In one sense, in many parts of our country, actually many people are only concerned about when we talk about GNH they are only concerned about the pillars of GNH and the main components of GNH. Actually, GNH is more than that. Actually our main focus behind the idea is that whatever we teach should be very interesting, should be understood by students.  Whatever we teach is not just through verbal lessons, there is also seeing, and at the same time they can gain understanding because whatever they hear they forget. Whatever you see you remember and whatever you do, you understand that is what they say. If they see at least whatever I teach for example through pictures, documentaries, and all they will remember almost all throughout their life.  And at the same time, even during the exam at least they will remember those pictures and information. So, if they see pictures for them it will be interesting and at the same time they learn and understand in the long term, not just for the short term. GNH has a broad meaning. Let me tell you there are some ways to assess students. For example I am a class teacher also (grade 12) and I used to observe behaviour and attitude of my students thoroughly. I will be always with them, during social work also I used to go there, work with them and observe them. By the end of the year, I can tell that if there are 44 students, I can tell which individual or which student is bad or good, what their behaviour is like and their attitude to schoolwork. I have a record of all the students. We have an EBA record and character certification. I keep records of their behaviour, punctuality, sincerity, etc. Every week I remind them about their behaviour, dress code, which is part of GNH, which falls under the preservation of culture.  

TP4f: The most common thing if you under take role play lesson for example. We can actually get the kids to become those characters. For example we can say what would you do when someone says that to you, how would you feel? Or how would you react? I think it is very important because it allows us to be somebody else which promotes values like empathy, which we do not practice I guess. While many of us not have that value so getting to be somebody actually putting yourself in that shoes of somebody not literally but I think we can understand what that person is going through. In addition we have debates but I do not know if it is related to values but we do have a literature circle where people can take on different roles. We need to collaborate as each person has something to contribute to the group and I think those are also values. Especially, when we are living as a group in a society if one doesn’t play an active role then the whole thing doesn’t work out.

TP8f: I use a student centred and lecture approach. I think based on this GNH domains we have two main ideas, namely, communication and interpersonal. So, sometime we do not do a lecture method, we try to engage the students. We give the topic and we let them come in front. One way we are inculcating a habit of having a communication. So, they come and they get the confidence to talk with their friends and share their ideas. One way when they sit together in group, some time there are students who never communicate with each other so we are giving them chance to sit together, talk and share their ideas. The internal personal relationship strengthens moreover. This is the student centred approach. I sometime let students do some kind of brain storming like I ask them questions like the government gives us the free education so why do you think it comes under merit goods? This comes under merit goods. So, why government waste so much of money upon education free of cost. They come up with ideas like later they might be fruitful to the government to render the services. 

TP7m: We cannot say approach as such, but I go to the class and I try to create an atmosphere that fosters learning. It is the teacher’s duty to start off the class well. I have to create that atmosphere within the class, whereby the learning becomes much more comfortable. I make myself approachable. I think it is the best way teach. You do not allow students to go to sleep. You make students talk freely in the class. I think the idea of GNH in the classroom is to make it a better place to learn, not just the subject rules and rules, not like that. We have to balance that interest and to make students ready to learn something. That’s what we have to work towards. We always talk about this notion during discussions, for example I might have a lesson topic on GNH values, so we just ask students and they have so many things to say about the particular topic. We just have to emphasize yes this GNH value. When we teach class 10 for example when we teach short story analysis, there is a story on ‘Hey Come on Out’ which is totally about environment conservation. If you see one of the pillars of GNH is the conservation of environment and that whole story is about that and this is how we make links link. We just have to say this story teaches us about how we should take care of our environment. It is taught in a form of story. The first story in class ten is the Day of the Butterfly, where we teach the value of friendship. It is very important for each other to be happy in one’s life and especially for teachers who teach English and literature, there are so many values to teach.
TP10m: While teaching we use different strategies. Owing to the time constraints we use the lecture come demonstration method.  But when we use activities, such as group work first we give them the topic and try to make students understand the concept of the topic. Then as I said that imparting the GNH values is just an accessory, but I make sure GNH values are more important than the concept and start there. These are the things, which uphold the values, ethics and the permanence of human beings. I always tell them that these are things which hold them together. I will tell them in between the teaching process. We are given separate period to teach life skill and GNH. That is for life skills but life skills come under GNH. In Science we do group presentations, action research, quizzes, inductive and deductive method, etc.  Sometime we try to infuse the GNH values through these approaches such as in group activities. We plan and do group activities in such a way that these things can be done by the students. It can be done by the students because it is within the students’ radar. By way of example recently the students did a survey in a village about a product the villagers sell and how much profit they made. In the process of doing such activity the students get to interact with people and learn some of the values from the elderly. 

TP9f: One way is through group activity. Another one is presentation, questioning, and sometimes as need arises personally I talk also. For instance, when I am teaching a certain topic and due to certain incidents that occur maybe the talking flows and I try to talk about the values related to the topic. The conversation may wander sometime but I do talk about the values. I think group work will help the children to open up when they are discussing things at their own level. This will not only teach students about the content but also values such as corporation, respecting each other, and accepting mistakes and even the small thing like punctuality.  All these values are inculcated through group work. They become responsible for the assigned work. One of the values is the responsibility. Rather the just learning the content, discussions, group work and presentation make them more responsible. I have observed that even the laid back types of students were forced to contribute points in the discussion. I have seen them contributing points for the discussion. Sometimes talking to them and after taking little bit of their time to talk to them about the present scenario and relate about their practical life, they become aware and share the things happening around them. I do this often. If there is something worth sharing with students I do that in the process of teaching a lesson topic. 

TP11m: To reiterate, there is a Chinese saying, if we do, we learn more so I really agree with this proverb and I try myself to follow this. So, I teach by letting the students ‘do’ and learn themselves. When we talk and when we do things ourselves, for the time being students will feel that they have understood, but once the lecture is over, again the topic might be blank to them. So, mainly the teaching approaches I use is to allow my students to involve themselves in many activities. My teaching is divergent and I allow the students to come up with ideas, even before I introduce my lesson. I let them share something about the topic. Later on I comment on that.  It is activity based learning. The teaching approaches we follow depend on the type of topic we teach to students. I cannot say I always follow activity based or the divergent strategies, it depends upon the topic. For instance, sometimes I have to take them for the fieldtrip. Sometimes I let them do the activities and introduce the lesson. These are a few approaches, but I minimize the lecture method and teacher centred approach. As I teach the content I always infuse the GNH values. Not only in the class but also even during the fieldtrips or at the morning assembly we always share values when we are the teacher on duty (TOD). 

TP12f: Sometimes I teach GNH through songs and rhymes and sometimes through stories. Teaching through songs I find it very effective because everybody knows that music is the soul of our hearts. So, when we teach in a rhythmic way the students learn more quickly. When we teach through English they also gain a greater vocabulary. Through songs and stories we can teach difficult vocabularies. They like to listen to the stories and when we have some more stories then they listen very intently and at the end when we conduct a follow up we ask some questions from the story. Other approaches I do not remember but it will automatically come when we teach lessons to the class. Lecture method in lower classes it will not work because when teachers speak for five to ten minutes students feel bored also. I teach the lower classes most of the time and I have to switch on to different methods in these classes. Through writing and reading students learn. We use four approaches such as reading, writing, listening and speaking. In lower classes we have so many Readers (books). The Readers have some values expressed in them. So, when we read those stories the students enjoy them. They enjoy reading and through reading comes listening. When a teacher models reading, they listen, they enjoy it. Plus we also engage in shared reading. So that is the way we undertake reading.  During writing lessons we make them write about the characters. In class two (some schools begin the grades from Kindergarten to 8, 10 and even till 12) also I make them to make story web (or webbing about the characters in the story) and they use some adjectives to describe the character while writing. Suppose if I say Snow White, I let them make web (a strategy to teach story). There are many characters in Snow white. I asked them which character they liked the most. Most of the students said Snow White only, because she is beautiful, she is kind, but they do not like the queen in the story because she is bad, so in that way we infuse GNH values in the class while teaching. 

TP1f: The pillars I know of in GNH are preservation of the environment, promotion of culture and good governance. The values that I know are punctuality, integrity, empathy, showing love and respect to the elders, taking care of nature. These values are very important because they imply a lot about disciplining the students. We can actually maintain discipline by using these values and talking about that and making or asking the students to do whatever is needed, or make when making decisions we actually ask them to reflect on all those values and then go ahead with whatever they think.

TP2m: I think there are nine domains but I do not exactly remember. I usually do not go with the domains but usually with four pillars like good governance, preserving and promotion of culture, so I talk more about promotion of culture and preservation of culture because if they come to class without Gho (National dress), or different hairstyles, as a discipline in-charge, I usually talk about the hairstyles, the Bhutanese hairstyles, and then Bhutanese way of respect. May be Geography teachers must tell them about preservation of the environment and the history teachers must be telling them about the good governance.

TP6f: I think I am not using the four pillars in the classroom. What I use is according to the topics in the math curriculum, including values such as creativity, consciousness, competency, and so on. Four pillars and other use of GNH values, depends on the particular subject. 

TP5m: As I told mentioned previously, justice, corporation, identity, love, fairness. Especially in Maths we can use these values as we come across these values mostly in Maths. Cooperation we can provide in group work. For example, sometimes we have lessons based on identification, so I use the value identity. I do not remember the names of the four pillars.

TP3m: Preservation of culture, conservation of the environment, equitable socio economic development and good governance. There are nine domains and seventy two indicators and there are many more GNH values.

TP4f: I mean I feel like all values are GNH values. Like sharing, respect for another person. Even something like cleanliness performing your duty properly, your responsibilities and these things we use not just an English lessons but also as a class teacher. We make sure they follow the rules. For example, if you do not clean up today then somebody else has to do it, we penalize them by saying that you have to clean for a whole week of something or for the next day or so. I feel that teaches them lessons also. So they learn to take the responsibilities seriously.

TP8f: I will talk about the four pillars. Firstly it is about equitable development, whereby we strengthen the green services like health and education and then furthermore we believe in equality between the genders. There is no gender bias in that case also. Moreover, from an economical point, we believe, along with government sector, that we give equal priority to private sector development. So, that’s how we maintain equitable development. In this regard especially we say that we have GNH in Bhutan but GNH has to also to do with providing better facilities in the rural areas. Our government is constructing farm roads and electrifying the rural areas, I think that also comes under equitable development. Secondly, if we talk about environmental conservation, if you are in school during the social forestry day, we plant the trees and we have clubs like nature club, which takes care about the environment and then we have a health club, which inculcates the hygiene and cleanliness. Sometime we go outside into the wider society whereby we undertake a cleaning campaign and so on. This is one way we are helping them. Then next, I think we have another pillar aimed at the preservation of culture. In school we have classes on social etiquette and programs. This helps to keep abreast of our culture and not to get distracted by other cultures. We have cultural programs, whereby we make it compulsory that one of the items should be of our own, not a western concept. The last pillar is the good governance. In this we talk about giving equal opportunities. When we conduct elections for councilors, we let them cast the votes and that is transparent enough, more accountable. In good governance we talk about accountability. Whenever we collect some kind of goods or services we make sure that receipts are provided, and pasted on the notice board. We have been accountable there. I use these four pillars in my lessons. We have one topic about the four pillars. In that we talk about the domain of economic growth measured through GNH and compere it with GDP, whereby it is clearly stated that the GNH is more important than GDP. There are some points like threshold points which are taught directly so we teach them  not going for a luxury lifestyle, basic needs are more important. Then we talk about the physical quality index where we talk about human development like the literacy rate of Bhutanese people, we talk about the gender bias. We also talk about the living standards of Bhutanese people, infant mortality, and life expectancy. These we inculcate to students.  

TP7m: Everybody knows the four pillars are likened to having good governance. The GNH values are more relevant for History teachers, people who teach Civics and so on. They can talk more on this topic. All in all these values can be covered in different subjects. Then we have cultural preservation of our tradition and culture. The History teachers, Dzongkha teachers and language teachers can teach these values. Then we have socio-economic development, which can be taught by the Economics teachers. The final topic is environmental conservation, and it can be taught in Geography and even in English. All the topics allow integrating GNH values and teaching to students. It is easier for the people who teach literature to infuse GNH values into the lesson content. For example, a story, A day of the butterfly, teaches the value of friendship. The story is about helping a student who gets sick. A student who was thought to be discriminated in the class, when she gets sick, all the students go to the hospital to see her and we did the same thing in our class. Our girl class captain was sick, other students suggested that we have to go and see her once. With some small items we went to the Basic Health Unit (BHU) to see her. We saw her so happy and the patient was getting better. Just teaching and talking about GNH is not important but it has to get infused and acted upon. Unless we practice whatever we learned I think the GNH has no value.

TP10m: First is environment. Second is good governance. Third is economic development and the fourth is preservation and maintaining strong cultural identity. There are some things, which we teach in different spheres. For example, we do not only teach book knowledge but we also control the students. So, in the process of controlling the students, we teach them values, for instance if somebody broke a glass.  I also try to tell them the sense of belongingness. When I talk about the economic development of the country such as our country is not in a good economic position, with the probable cause being the Indian rupee crunch, etc, I let students know the importance of a sense of belongingness. I always think that this is also a GNH concept, especially knowing things like the economic condition of the country, but at the same time we tell them that throwing the stone and breaking the government’s property are not good. Students at least know that we teachers have a concern. 

TP9f: One very important value I think is being a responsible person and having a sense of responsibility. I think once a person has a sense of responsibility, then many other values are taken care of. Another is cooperation and being helpful to each other, which is also a part of the GNH value. Then reconciliation, empathizing, having a sense of belongingness to the country, family, or organization.  Regarding the four pillars, there is socio-economic development, preservation of culture, conservation of environment and sustainable development.

TP11m: Respecting the elders, teachers, cooperation amongst your friends, taking care of things, peer learning, time management, decision making, critical thinking, so these are values I know. 

TP12f: It is not coming now, all are forgotten. Here value means honesty also punctuality, so whenever we are in the school we should be the role model to the students. The teachers are the role models. We should have some values within us. Then only we have right to tell to us. If we do not have values within us how can you tell others to be punctual if you are not punctual ourselves? If we are not honest to ourselves how you can say be honest to others. According to me it is not wise. Whatever values you impart you should have such values in you. If you do not have values then do not impart values. 

TP1f: I have attended only one school-based in-service programs (SBIP). That was I think in the year 2010 when GNH was first infused in the schools. First of all the principals were educated on how to incorporate GNH in school curriculum.  Then it was the school principal who further disseminated the ideas to teachers. This was a one day program. But when it was done in that year since it was a new concept most of us did it most enthusiastically and it also happened in my previous school and we used to carry out most of the activities with great interest and but slowly GNH is dying out.  
Notably since its first SBIP, there were a few SBIPs but I was not asked to participate. I do not think it was compulsory, and only selected teachers were sent to the course. They were then asked to carry out the activities in their respective schools but most of the teachers did not again carry out the school-based program on GNH. It was only the principals who gave all the information to teachers. So, these days I think many teachers have started to forget GNH curriculum. 

TP2m: Well, I do not remember. I think we have done a few but I do not remember exactly in what topic we have done this or when? I do not remember. Sorry.

TP6f: No we did not have SBIP on GNHIC. There is no one as a resource person. There is neither any initiative form the school side so far. We have done so many other workshops in the school but coming to the Gross National Happiness infused curriculum we have not done any. Last time we had a school meeting we made a proposal for the advent of GNH workshops and indicating that we did not know how to infuse GNH values in the lessons so we needed a GNH workshop.  The response was positive but has not materialized so far. 

TP5m: I do not remember exactly, but every year we are reminded by the school management that as far as possible we have to use it in every lesson. They have developed a format in which we have to show the GNH values. 

TP3m: Two female teachers went somewhere to get raining on GNH and they came back and gave us PD on GNH. Later a few others went to Changangkha or Loselling to attend a workshop on GNH. Thereafter, every year we get PD about GNH, life skills, etc foe about two to three hours but unfortunately we couldn’t do any PD on GNH because of the time limit. I am also one of the PD coordinators. We have so many other programs we couldn’t conduct PD on GNH this year. We prioritize GNH and we actually have focal person in our school, a person who is supposed to conduct PD on GNH. They said they will do it, and maybe they will do it after coming back from midterm break. Actually they have planned to call some experts from the Centre of Bhutan studies to give some briefing on GNH because they thought that was a better idea rather than having the same teacher giving a talk about the topic GNH, which would be monotonous for teachers, so maybe they thought they would invite some experts. Note that it is very important that what is taught to the teachers as they have to integrate GNH values and life skills into their daily teaching lessons. 

TP4f: We have the PD programs, we had one last year and also the year before. We attended the program in Changangkha MSS.

TP8f: When I first came here I think there was one GNH workshop that our school did not attend, it was for other schools. When vice principal Tashi came here I think he also did one School Based In-service Program (SBIP) on GNH in this school. This year I do not know whether it is in the school diary or not but every year we have been doing a course. However, I do not think that we have policy but we have a policy where teachers are asked to adopt one child in a school. So, that means somewhere we have been empathic like those who are academically poor, financially poor from the district itself we are asked to give the list names of those children. After we give the name list we are individually asked to monitor the students, help them academically, financially if they are poor, and if they need some counseling we do that. From last year we have been collecting the names and we have counselors from this year onwards. When we talk about GNH we talk about being happy, more often we have situations in school like suicide cases, people involved in drug problems and there are some who are morally down. These counselors try to advise students and try to foster happiness. 

TP7m: Last year we were so busy we could not have this SBIP program in the school. Before last year and the year before that we always had a course at least once a year because we need to remind our teachers time and again. We keep forgetting. 
TP10m: Of course they have conducted the workshop on GNH at the Dzongkhag (district) level but in other Dzongkhags almost all the teachers were involved, but in this Dzongkhag I do not know much about it, only they have called upon ten teachers. From our school ten teachers went but I was not one of them.  Some teachers went on transfer, some are still here. These ten teachers have done SBIP in the school but luckily or unluckily I was on medical leave. I did not attend any workshop on GNH but later we got a book about the life skills and GNH values. However, the book does not say how it is to be used. Of course how to write and infuse GNH values is written there but it is a little confusing when it is to be used and for what purpose. Some kind of a SBIP is needed for the book i.e., how to use that book. We need professional support from the concerned agency because the GNH workshop only happened once. One SBIP was completed, but thereafter no follow up. There is no asking question how it is carried out. Even if we see the textbooks, what I feel is they have to stress in the textbook itself the GNH values to be imparted just like we plan the lessons.

TP9f: Before last year I think some teachers attended some GNH workshops and then they conducted one SBIP in the school. There was a presentation by our Vice Principal, not exactly on GNH but on something related to values being burdening to children and teachers. He shared some of the topics. Other than that we did not have as such a SBIP on GNH. One of the things which was very helpful was (I do not know whether this will come under GNH or not) about punishing the children. Some information about the children and pictures were collected related to a corporal punishment but the intent was not about corporal punishment but it was about keeping children standing outside, making them prostrate in front of assembly but there is no outcome and actually it is wastage of time, as it does not teach them anything. All these types of punishment were reduced after he conducted the SBIP. The information that I got from the VP was of little use when attempting to implement the GNH values in the class. 

TP11m: Not only PD programs but also I have presented two papers about GNH. In 2011 or 2010 at a Paro workshop, I presented my paper about infusing GNH through teaching strategies. That time I was at one of the ECRs. My paper was also about teaching strategies. In remote schools, in ECRs we know that many teaching materials are not available and there are not enough text books. So, in that paper I wrote about how I tried to manage the materials by using the waste materials, recycling and encouraging students to use the alternative materials, which are available, and not always going for plastic and the like. I reminded them about their food habits. So, this is how manage with the lack of resources. There also I taught subjects that I was not comfortable with and I tried to gain first confidence in myself, especially using Dzongkha.  I tried to learn from other teachers and teach them. So, this paper was mainly on that. I do not have a problem speaking Dzongkha, but it is a little bit of a problem writing it, because I was the only teacher there. You know that we have to teach all the subjects. So, whenever I faced problem, especially in writing and spelling, I always come to my old school, where I have many Dzongkha teacher friends. I always called on them, I personally went there to seek help from them and take notes and used to go there and teach. If I taught the wrong information to my class I always made retrospective corrections to them. I would say ok I am sorry I have taught you wrongly and would say actually the spelling of this not like this but it like this. So, I was trying to teach them as correctly as possible. In this school we do not have enough teaching learning materials so in ECR how can we expect that. Here we always try to innovate and make the use of waste materials. For example in science, the containers and glass beakers, or rain gauge (all laboratory instruments), we try to make from other available resources.  During my stay there I was able to involve my community, in the school, about which I still feel proud. They were very supportive whenever we had a problem. For example, if you are doing good work, the parents understand your output. So, in meetings they did not disagree with us. I am very happy and am eager to go back and teach there. 

TP12f: We have many SBIPs in school like physical education, cultural values, the mathematics new curriculum we also had GNH. Our teachers attended the GNH workshop in Tendruk HSS, which was undertaken last year or before last year. Anyway, we had GNH SBIP and three teachers did explain this in school about four pillars, nine or something domains. There is a school policy saying that while teaching lessons, we must impart the GNH values to our students. I have written in the lesson plans value strands like interpersonal relationship and cooperation and so on, which is implemented when we give group work to the students.  Naturally they have interpersonal relationship with the friends and cooperation. They have discussions with each other and have to respect the values of others. 

TP1f: First of all we have started planting indoor plants inside the classrooms, writing the rules and regulations of the classroom and making the students follow that asking the students to have the citizenship values and then respecting each other and sharing their things including their food if a child does not have any, and we also have green day, whereby students are asked to bring food, which includes the teachers who are asked to bring only the green food. This event is even monitored by the school health management. Most of the topics already have values within themselves so I must say that the topics are value laden topics. We have already displayed the pillars of GNH and some values of GNH and school practices of GNH values are already displayed in the class. 

TP2m: Not exactly in my classroom but as a whole in the school, we are doing cultural programs like Zhungdra & Boedra (Bhutanese traditional songs) and sometimes we also have a Khuru (dart) tournament in inter-class, inter-house and sometimes we do wrestling matches. The year before last year we did this many times (Bhutanese games). 
With regard to GNH, because we need lot of time, if we make them do GNH in the classroom as per the topic we are teaching we could but we do it separately outside the classrooms.

TP6f: Mostly I give GNH activities and an extended. For example, for in economics for the problems associated with consumerism I set some questions where they can ask the shopkeepers. Whenever we set the questions we have to set them in such as way those students get chance to learn the GNH values. For example, practical questions such as how to make a profit or how to attract the customers. Students will learn values such as how to live a good and standard life. For this to happen students must have ideas about how to deal with the customers because some of the shopkeepers do not know how to deal with their customers and they lose the custom. So if students are taught to deal with customers and attract customers, they will be able to sell more bringing more profit. It seems like GNH from those perspectives. 

TP5m: We do not do the GNH activities. We cannot do it separately because we have our lesson objectives where we have to fulfill the objective and where we are mostly focusing on that objective not the GNH values. We do not have separate GNH objectives but of course as I said previously we just mention those things and when we come across the lessons we just pose a reminder. Especially in Math, my class I do not deal with it.  We just write values in the lessons but we do not plan the activities separately for the GNH lessons. (Whether there should be values in the lesson plans in the first place depends on the subject matter, especially in math in 50 minutes, when we introduce the lessons and we explain and demonstrate whatever we do then we have to give class work to the children and then we have to evaluate it and then often good children can complete 2 to 3 questions and poor students cannot even finish. So my question is I do not know how it can be possible to have separate GNH activities in the classroom. For every lesson this is not possible. Maybe once in a week if we plan it that way, it might work. Curriculum design may affect the situation because we have certain prescribed syllabus and we must complete this syllabus and moreover, these days, we should have 95 pass percentages and we have to mostly focus on that otherwise, you will be in a problem situation. 

TP3m: Yeah I take them for field trips and do lesson activities and remind them of GNH values as we do the lesson activities. As such I do not do this separately for GNH values as I do not have time for that because of the vast syllabus.

TP4f: We do as I said, like role play, presentation, group work, etc. though the syllabus is vast. 

TP8f: In class 9 we have a chapter on GNH like who introduced GNH and all that and in class 10 we have one chapter on economics with the topic of  ‘profit’ and then another chapter on economic growth, and differences between the GNH and GDP. We have a human development index. While teaching them I kind of tell them to do a presentation about how will they go about these issues if they were to become the responsible people. 

TP7m: The most important of all until last year we have created a GNH classroom for example. There is competition and we give them prizes.  Having a GNH classroom literally meant keeping the classroom clean, having the walls decorated with teaching and learning materials, others could use the wall magazine but we see that as a GNH classroom. If you go and see some classrooms, you could see representations of alters and all. We wanted our classrooms to make people think that it is not just only classrooms but also a learning temple.  Besides having the lessons infused with the GNH values, these are some of the activities we carry out in the classrooms. This year we are yet to do that. Our school is a special needs school and till last year we have had a group of students helping and supporting these special needs students. At the end of the year we used to award these students, students assistants, helpers as GNH students. I thought that was very good to help these needy students. These students sacrificing their own study time on a voluntary basis and everyday they took these needy students to the toilet. We cannot pick students to do this they simply volunteer. Someone who is really interested just come forward to assist. It is good and this itself means they are displaying some good values. These events make us happy and also beneficial for the needy students. In the past the school constructed a house and we named it that as ‘Happy Home.’ We even tried to broadcast on Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) – referred to the school project titled, Happy Home, and how they tried to broadcast on the national broadcasting news channel known as BBS. A student named Sanchaman from class nine came from the poor family and so we constructed his house and this house is still there which may last for 50 years. With the contribution of the teachers and students, we collected some cash and constructed that house. In another year, happy home two, was constructed inside the campus. We constructed temporary hostels for the needy students. I thought these are some examples of the good activities. In classrooms we do not go beyond the lesson and we do not do much about the GNH activities. These are some external GNH related activities. In the classroom we just teach the lessons and remind them this is the GNH value. 

TP10m: Based on my subject in higher classes, I have taken to the laboratory and I have divided students into groups and asked them to carry out the practical work, and in meantime I asked them to show some corporation among the friends deciding who will do what, taking up responsibilities and shouldering some of the burden and also sharing the knowledge and information they have attained. Most of the time is used to talk about values like attitude, and behaviour and some other physical ambience (referred to the school campus beautification). 

TP9f: In my environmental science lessons, students were supposed to design an eco-friendly community. They were supposed to imagine a very eco-friendly community whether it be urban, sub-urban or even a rural context.  They were not supposed to write anything but were just supposed to draw and explain. So, in that I could feel that they could come up with quite good ideas related to GNH. They were able to talk about the sustainability and decreasing of pollution and so on. 

TP11m: Decision making can be one activity in the class. For example, when you allow one student to make a decision, that decision might not be correct or strong enough, but if you allowed students to work in a group and come with one decision, that decision will be much better than the decision of a one student. So this can be also be an activity from my point of view. 

TP12f: We always have activities in the class. We have group activity and sometimes collaborative learning for the lesson topic and through that method the student learns GNH values. Whenever we have a lesson, we teach them and give them activities, sometime a pair activity and sometimes a group activity and sometimes a whole class is involved. So, during that time they learn GNH values.
TP1f: First of all, the curriculum does not say that this GNH component is reflected by specific topic so it becomes quite difficult to find out which value can be taught through what lesson and what sort of activities to integrate that value.

TP2m: I can say there are very big challenges. One very big challenge can be our students who do not actually understand the reasons behind certain ideas. I do not know why but sometimes even when they do understand they choose not to do the correct thing, like wearing Ghos (Bhutanese national address) for example. They never wear it and this is disrespecting elders, so I do not know what is happening. In a place like Thimphu they do not have a habit of wishing their teachers or using the respectful words (Zhesa). I do not know why but they never use it. When we say you come here they usually say ‘sir’ is asking you to come (not in respectful tone). I do not know why this is happening. If I am observing a Dzongkha lesson, I see the teachers teaching respectful words like Phelkey and zhesa (good social language) but they never use these words outside the class. I do not know why, maybe they must not be using these words at home or anywhere. In a place like Thimphu, most of the parents talk in English at home. I do not know why but maybe this is the reason they are being taught these concepts by Dzongkha language teachers. I have also seen their exercise books and there is evidence that the Phelkey Zhesa is taught. English is ok in the classroom but how many times do we tell them carefully to sit up straight.  As I said before they do not listen, despite how many times they are told they listen in the classrooms but when they are out they must forget or something, I do not know. This I feel is the big challenge.

TP6f: There are more challenges because I do not know how to relate GNH values to my lesson topics. We do not have a clear idea about how to make the connection. Sometime I feel am I right to use this GNH value in this topic. Sometime when I search through Google, there is so much information which I find is all important and sometimes I do not know how to relate all information. Many of the teachers here do not know either. Sometime they usually say we do not know, which GNH value is appropriate for our topic, so what is there is inserted randomly. We put into our lessons some GNH values provided by the academic heads.

TP5m: Maybe the references materials, prescribed books where we can find values otherwise we have very limited ideas because we have to focus mostly on the prescribed syllabus. If we have readily available references, teachers can find the information on values so that we can design the activities. 

TP3m: Some people do when we talk about the pillars of GNH. To learn about GNH effectively we have to change many things, for example, the size of the classrooms, facilities that are provided in schools, and the training that we receive. To talk about training, there is little of it on offer. We are not expert in GNH. We know only some rudimentary ideas about GNH in reality. We consider GNH and values are more or less as same thing. Classroom size is very small and the room is overcrowded. Facilities problems are there in my school. We do not have internet facilities here it is there just for non-teaching staff and principal I think. It is shocking here we do not have internet facilities. Madam Principal is of course trying to get the funding for the installation of internet facilities. The extent of syllabus is very vast. Time is very short. We have many visitors to school that cause interruptions as the school is located in urban area. We have to implement so many things.

TP4f: I feel that there is nothing major that is challenging, I mean no major challenges while infusing GNH values in English lessons, but I do not know about that as it is so natural for us that infusing the GNH values in the English lessons have become a natural phenomenon and thus do not face any problem. There may be some issues in other subjects but not in English subjects, language and literature. 

TP8f: Basically we have time constraints as the main challenge while implementing GNH. We have a vast syllabus but time is short, so we cannot use one whole period whereby we let them engage in some specific kinds of alternative activities. By the time we do that the exam comes and time constraint is one factor here. Moreover, though we teach GNH from class eight, some of the students really do not know the concept of GNH when they come into classes 9 and 10. It is something that is so popular outside our country but when we say that who propounded the GNH/whose brain child is that, some of the students could not answer that. Especially when we talk about GDP they do not know how to explain that either. I do not know whose fault it is but as such the curriculum does not demand the students learn the concept of GNH. Everybody talks about the fact that GNH is more important than GDP but nobody really know what that really is. This vast concept we have no knowledge of. Even we as adults are reluctant to talk about this big issue but it is the big thing to talk about. If there is a perceived need in the country to discuss and teach GNH it should be taught. It would be more useful if it was taught separately. I think we have one book, which is provided by the curriculum department. We were supposed to take that book and teach GNH values to our students. 

TP7m: One of the things is we have new teachers coming and we have old and tired teachers who are not too keen to instill these values because we are already burdened. These are some of the problems we face every day. Sometimes we do not find those values we want to teach in a particular chapter because our lesson plans demand that we should have GNH values as far as possible. We ourselves are not very clear about what are some of the GNH values. There should be spelt out as GNH values readily available where teachers can pick and insert while planning the lessons. Schools in Bhutan talk about infusing the GNH values into the classrooms. I think we should have a standardised or specified GNH values. The curriculum designers could work on what are some of the GNH values that one can identify in the text books. I think it should be there in the teacher’s manual. Teachers will come to know them even if the students do not know what they are as we can prompt the students to express these values. When we may not know ourselves, it is very difficult to point them out to others. I think we should print a book saying these are the values then we will see whether these values are there in our topic or not. We only see articles here and there but other than those four pillars, nine domains of GNH, we do not exactly have a list values, which state these and these are for these topics. There can be thousand values, and we want to see them in words and that would help us while infusing the GNH values into the lessons. 

TP10m: First thing is a there is no clear cut information about the use of GNH in the textbook. For some topics it is not at all possible to infuse the GNH values because of the lack of time. Second thing is lack of facilities, and expertise. The main issue is lack of time. If the time is within our reach/boundary, we can do it ourselves but the problem is we have to move ahead with the time. When we move ahead with the time, we only teach what we have planned for, namely, lesson objective so we just deliver the objectives and outcomes. We should impart GNH values in such a way that they should feel it right from the heart. They should feel it and do it right from the heart. In order to do that we need more time. For example, I can teach the topic and relate to a GNH value but in order to relate it I have to tell a kind of story or bring some kind of facts that they do in their everyday life. So, by doing these students actually feel that ok what they are doing is a value based class but to do that we do not have time. 

TP9f: One of the challenges is that now we have a prescribed syllabus, which is time bound and within that time frame we have to complete the syllabus. So in a way what happens is many a time we become more focused on the completion of the syllabus. That is more important at the end if you do not complete the syllabus the children will complain. We have to give exam questions based on that syllabus. So, that is one of the challenges, the coverage of the time bound syllabus. Sometimes if we want to talk a little bit away from the topic, we have to be skeptical and if I go on talking like that I will not be able to complete the syllabus. We cannot spend the time freely talking about the values. Maybe we need to reduce the syllabus content so that we are very comfortable completing the syllabus and when the lessons are comfortable means we will have ample of time to discuss and go beyond the lessons. 

TP11m: There are no as such challenges, but just the problem, is not even a problem actually as we already have the values that we are teaching, just now we are just identifying that this is a GNH value and all. Whatever the good values you have not necessarily should come from the GNH domains and the pillars they are part of a Bhutanese inherent character. Whatever good values we have which we feel that students should be learning, students should be practicing, I share in the class. We cannot go around the class and monitor all the class activities. The students are packed into the classroom in class eight. Because we do not have the option, we cannot divide the class eight students into three sections as there is no extra classroom. If a teacher is absent for any length of time e.g. for maternity leave, we have to regroup the class and make it into two sections. We do not have enough teachers to do otherwise. We have to work according to the school situations. Teachers talk about GNH in assembly every Monday. Our school is plastic free school. 

TP12f: One of the challenges is overcrowded classrooms and we have many numbers of students. Some students, good students come forward and share but some never come forward and share, only the good students represent the group, others sit behind. In 40 minutes it is very difficult to have group activity and presentations by all the students and to give individual attention. Those who are good are benefiting but when we have group work, I monitor them and I make sure that even the poorest student has an opportunity to share one or two things. They do not have confidence to come front but within the group they talk. 

TP1f: We feel that though these values were already there in the lessons but declaring that education system will be based on GNH values was quite ad hoc. Most of the teachers were not prepared and even now also many teachers feel that the idea is quite vague. They do not know how to implement and some of our friends may not even know what the values is that are incorporated by the term GNH and most of all we do not get lot of time. If the school based programs are not held consistently and continuously, the teachers forget after some times. If the teachers were made aware five years back, sometimes teachers forget after sometimes. So, I think there has to be motivations from the school heads. If the principals of the schools are highly motivated about GNH then only the GNH can be infused in the curriculum effectively.
TP2m: The realization that I came to is that as a Bhutanese I feel it is very good to have all this GNH things because we have very good culture so I feel it is very good. Especially like whenever we are writing the composition, if we infuse something like very old saying and indigenous saying, I feel all this are very good. Based on our culture GNH values are very good because if we do not infuse it and if we do not practice in school then the culture may disappear. 
TP6f: We have discussed that if we are putting the GNH values randomly into our lesson plans, it will not help the children. Instead we can suggest one SBIP about infusing GNH values into the lessons. We talked like that but nothing happened. 
TP5m: I find very difficult to find information about GNH values which can be infused into the Math lessons. On the other hand, we have to complete the prescribed syllabus and at the same time, from the management side or the ministry side, we have to produce certain percentage of students result, otherwise you will be questioned. Keeping that in mind we sometime forget the values. I think these values are very important. If we look at the present scenario of the country, you should have the earnings to carry on the life. So by looking at the present situation or government system, they don’t consider the GNH values, you should be good in academics only. They only look at the academic marks. But as a human being we should have the values. It is very important in life. At the present moment, the government or the employers are judging the person by looking at their progress report card or exam certificates and mark sheets but as a human being, these values are very important in life.
TP3m:  What actually I feel about GNH is we are talking more about values. Values and GNH are two separate topics. The people are talking about GNH in History and Civics. They teach the pillars of GNH, components of GNH, implementation of GNH, importance of GNH but in reality, GNH is more than that. GNH is something to do with values and what comes after the implementation of GNH. In the beginning, we did not have GNH. We had value classes when I used to be the student. Even few years back when I joined here we had value class. One extra period was there in a week. It used to talk about values, more or less, same like GNH and something to do with culture, something to do with the attitude, discipline, behaviour and so in place of values they talk about GNH. In the name of value they talk about GNH. GNH is slightly more than value. GNH is something important to our country, not just for their personal attitude or personal change. Values means only related to themselves and how they are going to become good human being, positive attitude and positive discipline but GNH means thinking beyond the self and considering the country as a whole. GNH demands that people have to become good citizens with good attitude, good discipline, good bahaviour and at the same time they have to know how to preserve our culture, how to respect our monarchs, elders, our religion, which are all there in GNH. So, GNH is slightly more than values. So, through the implementation of GNH, students and the country will change. If students know lot about GNH, our country will be one of the finest countries in the world.
TP4f: We should begin the GNH lessons at the lower levels, not from the higher levels because by the time the kids come to us (HSS) they were matured and they were sort of made up their mind. Some we can change here when they reach HSS, but some are very difficult to get them to change. So, I feel that when they were at the lower ages, it is easier to mold them. This is a big challenge getting the kids to change. It takes so much time.
TP8f: GNH is useful. If there was no education system about educating for GNH, what we have we will lose. We being the teachers when we talk about some of the non-academic life skills, if we could talk about GNH, it is good to teach though we have more challenges.
TP7m: It is a long way to go. It is much difficult to teach. It looks like we cannot teach the values at the moment and make students realize the GNH values. There is no examination for GNH values so, children do not give importance. Good thing is we all know that we all try to be a good citizen. We all try to be a good human being. I think as long as that motivation is there is one’s mind, directly or indirectly we all want happiness in life. We do not have system where we assess students about GNH values. At the most we can see what they become in future and how they become in future or how they become a good friend or those values is a long term thing. It is not like other subjects that we study. 
TP10m: I think the infusing the GNH or implementation of GNH in schools is not a new concept. Before in the place of GNH we had value class but of course the value class was teaching of values to the students but later when the implementation of GNH came, the value were subsumed under the GNH values. So, from my side I feel that the implementation of GNH in the class level is very important because education is not only about teaching the books or what is written in the book and teaching a bookish knowledge to students. That is not the education. Education should be something more than that, where students have to develop wholeheartedly. A wholesome development should be there. The most important thing about the human behaviour is the way they think of country, society, community and the fellow mates. In order to make these things come into light, I think the implementation of GNH is very important. I realized that the implementation of GNH is on the right track but the only thing why I see it is failing is somewhere there is no proper follow up. 
TP9f: Actually GNH education is good but at the present time the children have very less interest to listen to any sort of these values. I may be wrong and it is not based on any evidence and it is just my personal opinion. When we talk about the values students are not that interested. We can make out from their gesture.  I felt that infusing the GNH values is not only the responsibilities of the school. Teachers alone cannot teach values to children. It also has to come from the community, family and all. When it is a combined effort of all of these sectors then it can be a success. If only the teachers try to do it, children think that whatever we do is the part of a curriculum. Children will have a concept whatever is taught and said in the class is all based on the curriculum. Children do not think that GNH values are important for them in their day to day life. But if the families, communities and school take care of GNH values and the approaches then I think it will be good. 
TP11m: We need more training and guidance from the GNH experts. GHN values need to be there in the manuals.
TP12f: We need GNH values in our daily lives. The more you become mature, the more you need these values. In school, at home, everywhere we need these values. But sometime in implementation part we find difficult in the class to implement this. More we infuse the GNH values in students, sometimes more they tend to get spoilt maybe due to the different media and all. They do not listen to the teachers nowadays. It is not because of GNH but maybe because of media, television and all because they are influenced by the styles and other things. There should be effort from the parents’ side too in order to curb the problems with some kids. We always have parent teachers meeting twice in a year. During the meeting principal sir and even the teachers who were given responsibilities share everything with the parents. The parents have equal responsibilities. Some illiterate parents fully depended on teachers. They think that ‘Oh my son is going to the school and teachers will take care of him’ and they may not take care of their children also because some children are not listening to them.  As a matter of fact, teachers and parents have to work together like wheels of a car. Then only the bad bahaviours of some students will improve. Maybe because of modernization or urbanization, the students do not understand what is lying there for them in future. We do not have a media program in our school. Everybody has television at home and they see all sorts of TV channels. Every time in the assembly we have the value talk. Every teacher gives the value lessons everyday to the students. Principal and vice principal also give the value talk to students all the time. 
TP1f: One of the components of GNH practices in school is physical ambience and we take care of the ambience. Especially we take care of green school and we try to always maintain the school green and even the infrastructure will be child friendly. My school being inclusive school, we give lot of priority to the physical ambience because we have the students who come on wheel chairs and the structure of the school is made in such a way that it is a child friendly and we always maintain greenery in the school. It is the top priority. If I talk about the environment in the classroom, we have tried and maintained the best classroom. The classrooms are always neat and tidy. They are litter free. Students have good furniture and we have proper electrification but because of the number of students, the spaces in between the students are not so spacious. We have more than almost 40 students in each class but this year it is decreased. Last year I had 47 students in my class. This year I have 36 but still we cannot keep students in such a way that they have enough space for creating groups. In terms of human resources will be very beneficial. If there is someone who could and whom we could always look upon as a GNH teacher and who could always guide us and remind us on the activities that are carried out in the school. If there is one particular person, who is expert in GNH values, then that person or teacher could always conduct school based in-service programs, thereby revitalizing the values and insisting the teachers to carry out the lessons based on GNH curriculum.
TP2m: I feel little bit not yet ready because we have very big numbers of students in the classrooms and our classrooms are not that spacious and not that good and all the furniture are very old. I think our school is the oldest in Thimphu and the buildings are not very good. Additional infrastructures are needed but once our new eight unit classroom and multipurpose hall are ready, I think we can have little bit more. In multipurpose hall we can do so many things.
TP6f: I think the school surrounding has to be safe because our school is not safe. We need enough furniture and the classroom has to be spacious because we have so many students. We are also not able to ask question to each and every child because of the huge numbers of students. Teaching learning materials are also very important because it saves our time where we can deliver and finish our lessons on time and we do not have to write all information on the board. If children are not able to cope with the lessons then we paste the teaching learning materials on the board and they refer later and learn later. We can display GNH values in the classrooms written on charts or in booklet forms and display in the classroom and they can refer and learn later. 
TP5m: The physical and structural factors may not affect the GNH values infusion too much and may be some percentage but when I was a student there was no toilet in the school. Every time we had to go to the forest. I was in a junior school in classes 6, 7 and 8. I was in the hostel and no toilets and there was only one water tap but even then we managed and it will not affect the teaching much. Even if we have everything and the school building is very new, your classroom is spacious and you have good tables and chairs, that doesn’t mean that you have GNH values unless you have the particular teacher who looks after the GNH values and have prescribed books on GNH values available for the teachers to refer and impart the GNH values. 
TP3m: We have a big problem in our school. We do not have enough classrooms and old buildings are being maintained and we have temporary classrooms in makeshifts. We need the additional resources and I am sure this will help to implement the curriculum and values smoothly.
TP4f: We have classroom problems, furniture and spacious teaching rooms, which hinder the quality delivery of lessons.   
TP8f: Being a centre school even the day scholar students get every facility like the boarders. It is more helpful for some of the people who are from the poor family background. We have classroom facilities but the numbers of students are more and sometime the classroom is small. We do not have enough classrooms. We have shift system. Some students have to come after lunch and some before lunch. So, we do not have enough buildings. It is the need of the students. GNH is about happiness, yes it does hinder the implementation of GNH infused curriculum content and it is also the parents’ concern. Some students are sent before lunch and they have difficulty in travelling a long distance. They stay far and they do not have vehicle facilities. It is hindrance for them to come to school. If we have more numbers of buildings then I think we can cater the need of every student. 
TP7m: This is the 21st century and we are working to bring the technology in the classroom besides having the classrooms clean and good atmospheric but I think we basically need this facility in the school. If school could provide such digitized facility, it will only enhance the students learning. Any facility that is provided to students will enhance the students’ learning. We want the 21st century pedagogy to be carried out and our school is located in a very remote place, light fluctuates now and then and we would like to teach them on PowerPoint for example, and it is very difficult but till one month ago we had only two projectors in the school. This year we say that in a month a teacher must have a lesson using the projector. It is much easier actually and we can show them with internet facility though the internet facility is also not very strong. Just a month ago we have forced the school to buy two more projectors and we have it now. We have given one to a primary section and one to the secondary section. Students are enjoying and it is easier to teach this way. To some extend the classrooms are equipped with furniture except that we have shift system. Because of the lack of enough classrooms we have shift system. We don’t have any new classroom construction but next year we will have. The centre school system has been already started and we don’t have the classrooms. We need about eight additional classrooms. 
TP10m: All classrooms are well furnished but in the lower classes the furniture are very old and it needs to be replaced. The physical ambience or furniture does not affect the implementation of GNH in the schools. In higher classes the ambience may affect the teaching of GNH values but not that much like the requirement of computer and this and that. The physical structure does not have any relation with the imparting of GNH values to students. What is important is teaching them, telling them, telling the stories, having fun and getting together. Teaching values through technology is very useful but it has to be well monitored and taught. The textbooks that we have do not demand much about the use of values in the class but using the internet and teaching value would be much easier. For example using the projector and having a projector in every class is not that important but having one projector with the TV facility in a hall is very important, a resource room in a school. If we use projector and internet, it is one of the strategies to teach values to students. Students learn faster when they see, hear and feel.  
TP9f: I think that should not be a problem because values do not need any physical structure to be taught. We can talk about values anywhere and even outside the ground. I think that is not a very big concern. Furniture is ok here but we don’t have adequate fans because the climate here is very hot. This effects the implementation of the GNH values and class concentration and participation. The classrooms are not conducive. Classrooms are little congested and on the top of that we have very less number of fans. One of the additional resources needed for the GNH education could be the reduction of the class size, a smaller group to interact with and we will know the children very well. We cannot develop good rapport when we have a large student number in the class. It would be good if we have technology where children can watch some documentaries and learn about the content and values. One room has been already designated for the ICT.  
TP11m: The classrooms have to be spacious and the number of students has to be less if we really want to spend time for infusing GNH values and teaching to students.
TP12f: We have everything here. We have spacious classrooms. We have sufficient teachers also. I think this school is blessed school, a road head school and urban type. So, implementation of GNH won’t be any problem. We have everything here. I have no idea about computer, I do not go to computer laboratory and I use my own lab top. I usually go to library. We have sufficient books. Library is well equipped in our school. 
TP1f: Sometimes if we are teaching a story in elementary classes, maybe we could have specific learning materials and for few lessons but not necessary for all the lessons I think. 
TP2m: In case of cultural programs we have to have so many things that we need to wear when we dance and when we do Zhungdra, Boedra (traditional dance and songs). So, in case of Zhungdra we have to have different costumes and also for Boedra and Rigser (modern dances). So, lots of things are needed to infuse GNH in the school. We don’t see any materials for mathematics. We have materials like cube like ones, tens and all this materials we have such as counting tools like dice to infuse GNH with Mathematics, other than that I don’t see much.
TP6f: I think having specific teaching learning materials will help us to teach values more. It is good if we have charts and wall papers containing the GNH values.
TP5m: Teaching materials may help us to teach values better. But we are just infusing the values here. Values written on the classroom walls may remind students to learn values.
TP3m: Maybe we need books on GNH, GNH charts or model so students will be reminded of values every day.
TP4f: It would be helpful for the lower classes but in higher classes I do not think so but we can still have GNH values written on the walls of the classrooms and have some additional library books for both teachers and students to read and know about the values.
TP8f: I don’t think we need more of teaching and learning material to infuse GNH values. Talking about and inculcating the concept in convincing way is more important than the having teaching materials. 
TP7m: A specific teaching learning materials is very much needed in order to teach the GNH values successfully. For any teaching, not just for GNH, teaching learning material is very important. We even do not have some text books on GNH. We just see some articles here and there. If Ministry or Department really thinks of starting a new curriculum, they can think of teaching small, small values right from the class PP and come up with something like an English curriculum. As they climb higher they can think of bigger values. It is not that we have to teach all the values to PP students. For example, talk about keeping the classrooms clean, picking papers. Just talk about few values. Civic sense if we teach and I talk with the school administration and we can convince these small kids more than these class 12 students. 
TP10m: Other teaching learning materials for the teaching of GNH values is not necessary. What I feel is it is available everywhere. Of course having books on GNH values is useful but it is better to teach in the classroom itself. Only thing is, there should be a sufficient time. Time is the only factor hindering the implementation of GNH teaching in the classrooms. 
TP9f: I do not feel specific teaching learning materials is very necessary but if I think of history lessons and it would be good if they have some sort of prayer room, like thankas (scroll), a little bit of religious values would be inculcated. Our children are lacking that religious thing. In our time at least we have that prayer system, where we sat together and prayed. We had prayer books and prayer halls. We do not have in our school now. When I first came to this school first it was there but it was in the classroom and depends upon the teachers who is in the last period, some they would be conducting and some they would not be doing it and we do not have a designated prayer hall. If you are sitting in the class room and you are already tired and children are just waiting to rush out of the class and you keep them extra minutes making them pray and we do not have a proper prayer book. Though it is there in the diary they are not using it properly. So, that is lacking. One of the GNH values is culture and the prayer in a hall should be there. 
TP11m: Specific teaching materials are not required. It is about the lesson plan and how we make good use of available materials. It is not necessary to have concrete materials to infuse the GNH values. Some problem is there. Because of the policy, we are compelled to infuse the GNH values into the lessons otherwise we always try to seek and suggest and resolve the problem in our own capabilities. In classrooms, teaching learning materials are very important. In science I cannot make available resources from the wastes. I cannot make chemicals and some models, so I have to use the materials in the laboratory which are required. But if there is no material also we should not stop teaching. We should continue doing it. These days we are very lucky that our school is connected with the internet facility, lot of computer, every teacher make use of this facility. So, from there we can take advantage of that and take it as teaching learning materials. 
TP12f: If we have some pictures it will be of help while teaching the lesson content. Suppose, if we have materials on a picture story, they can understand and remember the values. I do not know about the higher classes. 
TP1f: After reaching here I have not attended any GNH SBIP but I have seen my fellow colleagues going somewhere else to attend GNH workshop and they never disseminated the idea to us. But in my previous school, I attended the SBIP. That particular training was very useful because it was conducted by the principal of my school who is very much interested and he himself is motivating. Because of him we immediately started practicing all this and we even started carrying out lot of activities in the school. We had lot of activities like we had power saving period, a time where we had to put off the light for some time and no one was allowed to use electricity for a few minutes. It was carried out throughout the school. We started even segregating the waste and educating the people on waste management and then we had green day like what we are practicing here also but there it was totally different, every teacher had to eat along with the students including the principal and we made sure that everybody followed that. We had so many activities in my first school, which was Yoeseltse Middle Secondary School, Samtse. 
TP2m: No, but a small talk or workshop we had but I don’t remember well.
TP6f: Yes but I have all forgotten what they shared with us. Still I am trying to teach and infuse values by getting some information from the Google.
TP5m: No I did not attend any training on GNH. Maybe I was on leave or something but I did not attend any GNH workshop.
TP3m: I attended once or twice workshop conducted by the colleagues.
TP4f: We also attended the one Ministry organized. It was very useful. It made us actually more aware. We were doing all those things but it made us mindful. We were already doing it. We just became more aware of it.
TP8f: I could not attend the first training which was given by the district education office because we were the host so very few members were allowed and the second time the SBIP was done by the Vice Principal Tashi sir and we attended that.
TP7m: I attended the National GNH workshop in 2010. 
TP10m: I have not attended but I do not know how they did that I do not know. 
TP9f: I attended one and it is required more. For instance, since this year it was made mandatory saying that we must infuse GNH values in the lessons but to be honest, so many years passed still we are lost in not knowing how to infuse GNH values and if there is some sort of PD program, give us a little bit of idea that will be really helpful. Science teaching has become a concept based, so I myself get lost how to put the GNH value in that particular topic. 
TP11m: In 2013, I attended the workshop at Thimphu. It was what happiness to you is. That was a three day workshop in Thimphu. Happiness and GNH, I feel that it will take lot of time, especially in Bhutan. This sounds very good on the paper. I will give you an example of a saga daw (auspicious month). If I am happy taking chicken everyday and I am forced not to. For me if you really wanted to be happy, you should allow every individual to find their own happiness. You should ask or consult people what makes them happy and your culture and my culture will be different and concern of people is not taken care. In 2014 five of the teachers got workshop on GNH at Tendu HSS and when they came back they gave the PD program. 
TP12f: Through SBIP we learn many values also and we are infusing those values. Directly or indirectly we are applying in the classrooms. I cannot remember what I got from the SBIP and it has been two or three years now. 

TP1f: Yes, professional programs will revitalize us. They give us lot of motivation. It is very useful but it has to be done consistently. There should not be a long break and all the principals should be highly motivated. If the principal is motivating then the whole school will be adopting those values very seriously. 
TP2m: since I did not attend any workshop on GNH values, I feel it is required especially on how to infuse it with some of the pedagogies which are there. It is required because in our teaching system we have to have GNH and we have to infuse it and if we do not have some workshops or PD programs then with our limited knowledge, maybe it is not going well or not as per the expectations of the GNH commission.
TP6f: We will have better idea and can effectively plan the lessons and teach the values at the same time if we have workshops on infusing the GNH values into the lesson content.
TP5m: Without any training, we are trying our best if the ministry/government/any agencies can train us I think we can impart GNH values in a better way. I am sure it will benefit all the teachers. 
TP3m: We need more workshops on GNH especially how to infuse GNH values into the lesson topics. We do not have much idea on this.

TP4f: As I said we just became more aware of it. Values have been there before but now we are consciously infusing it.

TP8f: I think the SPIB that I attended was somewhat useful. Moreover, being an Economics teacher I have to talk about the GNH. Moreover, I browse through internet and keep some kind of materials about GNH. For me attending the GNH is important.
TP7m: School SBIPs are useful. It is very useful as long as we try to implement in the class but attending workshop and not doing anything, it only helps you not anybody else. We implement as and when required. There is no mandate. 
TP10m: To all the teachers imparting is not required. I mean training is not required for all the teachers. GNH experts can always come to the school and conduct SBIP. Here they did once and thereafter nothing and it dies. It has to be progressive in the ladder such as level 1 and then the next level and so on. There should be follow- up and there should be process. If teachers are given some basic background training on GNH, I think they will be able to proceed or process with the help of books and internet and concerned agencies. 
TP9f: I think PD program is important and we need it and also in that way it will encourage the teachers. As of now it is said mandatory and we have to do it but all of us are not able to do and we lose interest. If there is no support, we also know that it is just for the sake of doing and maybe sometime just for the sake of writing down in the lesson plans, which may not exactly happen in the classroom. Support is must for the success of the GNH infusion into the curriculum.
TP11m: It was beneficial where we have to focus about the academic greenery, physical greenery and today that are working here. This workshop was helpful while teaching my science lessons in the class. 
TP12f: Yes, it helped me to plan and infuse GNH values into the lessons.

TP1f: My Principal is very supportive in terms of like whatever we would like to do we can carry out, there is no restriction and it is like he says you all have to be a 21st century teacher, “I should not come after you asking you to do this and that” but when he says that many of the teachers forget and they do not respect his views and many of the teachers do not carry out the GNH infused lessons. Otherwise he is very supportive. But he does not particularly say that GNH activities have to be carried out in a particular way. 

TP2m: My Principal is very supportive. He listens whatever we propose and if he thinks that it is not possible, it is not necessary, then he rejects. Usually we have to propose and get permission from him. So, he agrees.

TP6f: Yes my Principal is very supportive. Whenever we have suggestions put up in the meeting Principal sir never say no. Whenever we suggest something, principal will always follow up. For example, if we say we need this one in our classroom, the principal will immediately visit our classroom and provide support. 
TP5m: As I told you, every year in the beginning, the management reminds us to infuse the GNH values and any programs. Other than the classroom activities when we have to organize, the management always reminds us about these values.

TP3m: It is very difficult to say actually. Of course the Principal and the supporters are trying to help us as far as possible from their own limit or level but we need more than that because the problem is the classrooms are overcrowded, there is shortage of teachers, many teachers are lady teachers who go on maternity leave often, most of the teacher also have health problem. The number of enrollment of students should be minimized. This school has poor facilities.

TP4f: Well the school management is supportive. I mean we have PD programs beginning of every year. They are very supportive and they remind us every now and then to make sure that our lessons have GNH values.

TP8f: I think yes but it has to do with the individual teacher. Outside we have lots of GNH activities supported by the management of the school. As I said with the initiative of the district education office and heads about adoption of a child by an individual teacher, I think it has to do be the support of the head of the school. So in this case there is support from the school heads. Here teachers have to look after the academic wellbeing, financial and moral support of the child they adopted. 
TP7m: I cannot say much of this. There are too many things to be taken care. Particularly these parts have some value assessment part in future. Though a school is rated on this GNH and all in all not just the result but in this matter, our school has not ranked very high. From here we know that these things are not taken care. People are too busy. 
TP10m: The Principal is very supportive and in fact he has always time and again reminded us to infuse the GNH values in the classroom lessons. And even whether these teachers are infusing or not, as a physical process of checking he always ask us put his component even in our lesson plans and stress on the lesson plans. In our school maybe from last year or year before, they made it compulsory to have value in the lesson plans as one of the components but when to impart and when to infuse that is not there. 
TP9f: I think sir tries his best in the meetings telling us like we have to infuse the GNH values in the lessons. I would not say 100% support is there but there is support bits and pieces. 
TP11m: We are very lucky that our principal is also one of the participants during the GNH workshop. He also said that he attended so many workshops about this GNH. So, he is very supportive. He really encourages teachers to come forward and do anything related to the good values. He is very supportive and he too encourages many of the teachers. He is open and always advices us to include GNH in lessons. Every week we show our lesson plans to him and he always focuses where and what are the GNH values you have. So, we always share with him. 
TP12f:  The Principal is supportive and he has knowledge about the GNH as he attended several workshops. 

TP1f: Besides the first training on GNH, I have never got any trainings, so I do not think the Thromdey (municipal education office) is supporting, REC is supporting and they have not conducted any orientation on how to integrate GNH in our curriculum, besides the two day program that I had from my previous Principal in 2010.
TP2m: I feel they are also very helpful. If I share one example, we have special education in our school and we ask bit more teachers for our special need children so they understand and give us. And special education teachers just have to teach half of the loads carried out by other teachers.
TP6f: Thromdey education officials they come two times in a year for school improvement plan (SIP) purposes. I do not know about the GNH infused curriculum but they come and assess the school.
TP5m: I do not have much idea about this. When they see the lesson plans only DEOs remind us or ask us. Thromdeys they come for this SIP evaluation and sometimes they tell us or remind us about the GNH and same thing for the EMSD. Other ones I have no idea.
TP3m: Some agencies have no hand in it. They do not come to school. They do not know what is happening here. Of course like DCRD, Thromdeys, REC, some time they come. TEO comes time to time to observe lessons and assess the school and some sort of link is there.  Of course they are coming to school. When school has computer shortage, the school is placing their order through them only and maybe they are helping the school indirectly. The concerned agencies come but not often.
TP4f: The concerned agency such as Thromdey education officials do visit the schools and check our lessons and make sure that we have and they come and observe. They do that they do monitoring but I do not know how much they facilitate. I have not seen any official from the concerned agency coming and facilitating the workshop on infusing GNH values.
TP8f: I think the concerned agencies are supportive. For example, one official came from Samtse and did conduct the workshop on the waste management. Waste management has got to do one of the pillars of GNH. He talked about putting the waste in proper bins and all. As a result we have two bins in our school which separates the plastic bottles and other general waste. That was the initiative of our head. 
TP7m: I would say very frankly that the concerned agencies always talk about this but it is easier said than done. The easier thing is to say you do this and do that and that’s what they say but while implementing, the problem is only with implementation. They try to give supports in terms of words. It is talking matter only. Everywhere people talk about GNH. It is just used in a sentence. It is easier for these people to say we can teach GNH values to kids even during the leisure hours but while implementing they fail. Implementation part is the problem. 
TP10m: So far the agencies have not come to check out teaching in the class but by looking at how the system is going on, I think they are giving too much stress or focus on GNH. What I feel is they must be very supportive. They have not facilitated any workshop on GNH in the school. May be they have plan in future. 
TP9f: The concerned agencies are not that supportive. Last time one man came from the EMSD but to show us the results and the school ratings. DEOs come only for the PMS (performance management system) and school ratings. It would be good if they could talk to the children in the assembly. I mean that students know that he is DEO and talk about the importance of education and conduct meeting with the teachers and talk and share something related to teaching and that would be good. They come so quietly and sometime we do not know whether they are here or not also and suddenly some teachers are picked and called for the interview. I think that is not a professional support. Lecturers from the SCE only come for research data collection. They come and question us and that is it. I do not remember any time the DCRD/REC officials coming and rendering support to the school on infusing the GNH values into the curriculum. I do not know if it is not there in their program and we do not have support from these officials. 
TP11m: Our principal monitors. He visits the schools, classrooms and I have also noticed the people from the Dzongkhag, especially the DEOS, they come, they monitor, they observe few lessons and yes sometimes they share about the GNH values also. I have not seen any lecturers from the teaching colleges coming and facilitating on GNH. Indeed, there is a mismatch between the training the colleges are giving to the trainees and what we do in the field/schools. These two are not matching. Two colleges are not preparing the trainee teachers for the schools. There if we see the curriculum are all outside curriculum and here when we come back to the schools, it mismatches. In colleges we learned that we cannot judge students performance by one to three hours of examination, two hours of evaluation of students progress is very less but our schools demand that whether you are able to perform well or not, in the exam if you are able to perform you are through and vice versa. Same case with the board exam and I believe that we should work on this bit. Let’s not try to be judgmental. Let’s try to be open. The focus is more in summative and for formative it is less. As I said teachers do not have enough time to do that formative assessment. Firstly, the numbers of students, number of periods are huge, where we do not have time. If I am asked to correct the notebook, a pile up will be there, it will take three to four days if I correct properly. So what I do, just tick and return. I am not able to give my good remarks to them. There when I am doing firstly I need time and I do not have that and I am sure if I am doing justices to formative assessment. For this we need more time which we do not have right now. 
TP12f: I think they (DEOS and others) are talking to principal only, not with the teachers. No lecturer comes and facilitate on GNH workshop. 

TP1f: If I happened to be the teacher in-charge, in the beginning of the year only I would discuss with staff about how to go, how to take up activities that would align with the GNH value. Besides teaching, we can adopt so many activities in our co-curricular activities and I would discuss with them, plan and integrate and incorporate in the school calendar and follow it accordingly. That was what we used to do in my past school. It was very vibrant there. After this adoption of GNH, we even welcome the pre-primary students with the grand celebration there where we gave them scarves and welcome them and made their first day a very grand one. Here it is like a forgotten topic. Even the meditation that we used to carry out there every morning, even in the inside the class is not practiced here. 
TP2m: I cannot exactly say. We have to have meeting and we will have to ask consensus from all the teachers. We must have consensus from the entire teacher to do it. If there is no consensus in the meeting, if we try to do something extra thing in the school, then it will be a problem. I have to conduct meeting and go about who is going to do what, a job delegation and when to do. I think I have to plan and give it to the principal and then it should happen as per the plan in exact date.
TP6f: If I were the in-charge I would find out the resource person who is knowledgeable about this GNH integration in the lessons and let all the teachers know. I will monitor the teachers whether they are using an appropriate GNH value in their teaching. If teachers are not able to do I think we will inform that particular teacher to use the GNH values in the classroom teachings.
TP5m: If I am given a chance, as far as possible and what we are doing right now is we are given the GNH values to infuse in a lesson wherever it is possible and even in club activities we are supposed to infuse GNH values at least once in month. First thing is we must have resources such as information about the GNH values, where should we get it otherwise it is not possible. I need to find out the prescribed books or the references. Then accordingly I will inform my friends to infuse the values in the classrooms. Otherwise if I simply ask the teachers to infuse it or do it but they are not provided anything then it is not possible. 
TP3m: First thing what we have to do is we have to see the classroom size. Students in urban area are more but we have few classrooms. We have to increase the classrooms more. Next, we have to give proper training to all the teachers. We have to call the experts or send the teachers. Actually to tell you the truth, our teachers learn better in other places/areas rather than being trained /taught here in the school. If teachers go to new places/new environment, the teachers do better there rather than calling experts here and getting trained. At the same time the syllabus coverage is too vast. The government should do something about reducing the content of the syllabus. Some of the topics that are there in the syllabus are not relevant to our present scenario, situations and so on. Actually the syllabus needs to be changed. Syllabus should be also made in such a way that teachers can infuse GNH values and syllabus should be in line with GNH values. We talk lot about GNH but in some of the subjects there is nothing related to GNH. It is all about other country’s politics, other country’s natural resources, economics, etc. and also some teachers here are overburdened. The workload of the teachers should be minimized. Students who are weak in studies should be given extra time to groom them. And teachers doing this should be also given incentives such as short training, short tour, increase salary or increment, maybe by giving them less period if teachers are teaching beyond the given time (8:30 am to 4:20 pm). Teachers should not be overburdened as many have family to look after.
TP4f: I would not just go about the lessons plans and may be class observations and get kid’s feedback.
TP8f: Apart from academic, I would suggest them to focus on non academic too. I will tell them to teach those pillars and nine domains at the same time while teaching their lesson topics and inculcate at the same time the GNH values. We have in school in our lesson plan that we have to include the GNH values. Every subject, whatever topic you teach, as per the suitable topic if they can teach the GNH concept. We have that column at the bottom of the lesson plan page. I think every subject has to do that. It is given as the GNH concept. In what concept you will infuse the GNH values. As such we do not have the GNH lesson objective. It is mandate for every teacher to comply it. 
TP7m: To do all these things (values), we have to be a good human being because the overall outcome of the GNH has to be to make that person into a well refined human being apart from what education we get and what knowledge we get from the books and all. One may not become a teacher, a doctor, or an engineer but through these teachings if we can make somebody a good human being I think that itself is the first step towards yourself and others happy. Given the setting like this in school, the teacher should not be burdened with so many things and other activities because no schools have a teacher who is assigned to look after this particular field. This year we have non-academic and academic responsibilities. Unless one is assigned something like this and plans made, policies made, teachers are given incentives from the school, I think nobody likes to work for a free of cost. Everybody wants that but we can’t do that also. School must have a written policy. Not only this we should have some guidelines from the Ministry only then only towards the ground level, if all these people work together, we can see something positive and one day we will really be able to say Bhutan is a GNH country. 
TP10m: Infusing of GNH so far what we understood way and how the Principal remind us and what we have learned from the workshop is to infuse GNH values into the existing curriculum wherever and whenever possible when the concept is related. If I were the in-charge or head, the first thing is we have to appoint somebody to give seriousness in what we are implementing. He will look after the GNH and see whether GNH is being implemented in the class by the teachers. The GNH values should be also reflected by ways and means like wall posters in the class and asking the students what values they have learned every day. There should be follow-up action by the in-charge. After follow-up, there should be certain level of assessments and scores. At least we have to be able to measure how much that student has scored and at what level. That will determine the level the students are in and the next level the students have to achieve the GNH scores. In that way if we give the scores, students will be able to learn more about their life, GNH values and some of the values they need to learn in their life. GNH should be beyond the four pillars as it is a broad concept. Along with scores we can always diversify the GNH concept and integrate the GNH values along with the scores. For example, about the Good Governance, we can teach about the corruption and its effects, banking, saving money, insurance, etc. 
TP9f: One is being resourceful. For instance, in our school nobody has an adequate idea about how to infuse the GNH values. I think it should be good as a Head to ask the concerned organization for support. We do have people who are experts and did researches and studied about the GNH. Why not invite them sometime and share with us about how to infuse the GNH values. That could be one of the approaches to do successfully in school and it will really make difference, somebody coming from the different organization and sharing the ideas. Other thing we can do is keep a close contact with the teachers, not like you do this and leave it. Though we are adults, human tendency is if you are not really looked at, people tend to forget and tend to take it lightly. Keep a contact time to time. Visit sometime and monitor and you can even ask from the children. I think that would be helpful if we take it positively. It is not to pull the teachers down. I think this will keep everyone on their toes, be it students and be it teachers if we take it positively. And way it is dealt with the teacher won’t be able to take it as a positive feedback. Sometime bring out that positive feedbacks and give this feedback to the children and teacher and say I asked your class and said something like this, to do more by the teachers. I think these sorts of things are required. Of course this is a large school and we have many teachers but still then from time to time if we have that contact and proper monitoring, that would help inculcate the values. Otherwise just making format and letting teachers do would not solve the problem. Another thing is reminding children, of course here it is hot and has a short assembly but children need a continuous reminder. You say something in one day and you never talk about it in future. It makes no sense. Constant reminder wherever possible and see them, from time to time talk about these values and share and talk about these ideas. Develop them to belief in you, have faith and they will practice. In my school though it was all in hot place, the principal used to take a lot of time in the assembly. She used to share something every morning, something new each day. It used to make difference in the behaviour of the students. They should know that this is our principal. He or she has this much of substance. You have to make your weigtage being felt by the students. In some of the schools I have visited there are some good sayings all over the school compound. By having this some sort of feeling is developed and that will also help to teach values to students. 
TP11m: If I were an academic in-charge I will do what our principal sir was doing to successfully implement the GNH curriculum.  I will tell my teachers to plan a lesson where there is always a GNH value and not only that they should also reflect in their lesson plans. For follow up I cannot always go there and monitor. I will love to see their lessons whether GNH values are included or not. I can always talk with them and find out how practices are going on. So, through them I will know. 
TP12f: Maybe in a chart or so, write all the four pillars, nine domains and values that we are infusing to the students if it is displayed on the wall. Every time the teacher comes and oh this is the value, a reminder to them you know. In our school we do not have displays or notice board for GNH values. But we have green school, greeneries. Maybe sometimes sitting together and discussing with the teachers, I think interaction will help a lot. Our school maybe due to the Wi-Fi, everybody is looking at the mobile, turning here and there. We are sitting together but everybody is with their own mobile. Nobody bothers and we do our own way. We do not have much interaction nowadays. 

TP1f: I do not think there will be mismatch by any how we can connect the lesson or any topic can be connected to one of the values by any means. Almost all the topics in the curriculum has something to do with environment and something to do about taking care of government properties. The people are respecting the king and taking care of our family members. So there is always a value connected there.

TP2m: I do not see much but in case of mathematics most of the topics are not related to GNH but we have to say in between whenever the situation comes. Generally infusing GNH values in Mathematics may not be feasible. Different people have different ways of thinking and teaching but if we are taught to infuse GNH values (strategies), in Mathematics also we may be able to infuse GNH values. We need some pedagogy to infuse GNH values into the lessons.

TP6f: I think I did not find any mismatches. I found all most all the topics are useful. But sometime I have a doubt in my mind where that value would fall into the topic. For example, this simulation topic is there in class eight and at that time I was not able to put the GNH values. May be there is a value for this topic but I could not find.
TP5m: When you say topic, in a topic we have many sub-topics. In every sub-topic we cannot infuse the GNH values. Generally if I say addition of fraction, now we have addition mixed fractions and a whole number. For addition of fraction I have to go for about 5 to 7 days/periods but the value is only one that is the addition of fraction. So, I cannot infuse GNH lessons in every lesson. That is my problem. Mostly on addition we can do corporation (teach value) by giving them the group work. 
TP3m: I cannot tell you precisely. Actually whatever we teach to our students, one way or other it is useful to them. Gaining knowledge is also the part of GNH. Some relevance is there in every lesson topic. Something is there. Revision is needed because we have some expatriate teachers, they should be also trained how to teach GNH values by infusing them in their daily lessons.

TP4f: No, I do not find any mismatches in English subject. There is always a value in every topic that I teach.

TP8f: If I talk about my subject, I have topics where I can integrate more GNH values. Since I teach Commerce and Economics, both are directly associated with the people and consumers’ behaviour. When we talk about the consumer’s behaviour we have that ethics. We have some kind of emotion related thing and obviously I have to talk about the GNH. But sometime when we teach elasticity and other concepts, I do not know how to correlate with the GNH values.  I have problem in those concepts. Sometime, the calculation on foreign exchange that I do, there also I have problem of infusing the GNH values into the lessons. When I teach I just teach,  I do not know how to infuse the GNH values. 

TP7m: I think sometimes there is mismatch and that is there. It depends on teachers who teach a subject. A Chemistry teacher might teach some chemical formulae, I do not know since it is not specified, the problem is we do not have these values all taught and we even do not have this guideline. I as an English teacher I always wonder how this might be taught in that particular chapter. A Geography teacher might talk about some rocks, how I might try to create a GNH value inside that stone. At the most, I might talk about its uses. Stones can be used for constructing house something like this and how we can say it is a value also. As far as teaching History is concerned, there is so much value to talk about. In poems there are so many values to talk about. In mathematics, even we learned that during the workshop in Paro, 2010 that sharing for example, sharing is loving and this value can be taught by teaching division, multiplication but not multiply words but we can talk about multiplying love for example not just multiplying words.  That way some subjects more relevant than some other subjects and probably may be because of our ignorance because we don’t know in old subjects how it can be taught but there are some relevant subjects where we can teach so many values.

TP10m: In terms of science when we teach about the Chemistry especially the molecular reaction in molecular level, we are not able to relate the GNH but again that is due to the time constraint. If we had time we can relate that molecular level to the micro molecular level, organism level, then their use to the human being. There is possibility but thing is we cannot bring this type of stories to link because of the time constraints. 

TP9f: Contradiction as such I did not find like content is saying something and value is saying something else and that I did not find. But how to put value into the content is the problem. For instance, in Biology I am talking about the cell and teaching about the cell and what GNH value will I be able to infuse in children? Only thing is they will appreciate that living things are made of a tiny structure and something like that. But if we look at the GNH values, it was very difficult. Not in all the content but some mismatches are there.

TP11m: There is no mismatch. What I am telling is before also we had been doing, before also we had been infusing the good values, and at present we are just identifying it. We are just emphasizing. There is nothing new. Just now we are just identifying and letting the students know.

TP12f: May be in math, there might be mismatches. When we teach math, sometimes value will not come. I am teaching math in class two only, when we teach addition, what values they are going to learn. To me only but maybe to experts there may be lots of values. When we teach division, sharing will come and sharing is love. But in addition and subtraction or in addition may be when we go on adding the friends, that way but subtraction is there. 

TP1f: Yes, if there was uniformity, all the schools will be practicing similar values and all the students would be graduating with those values. If these values are centrally disseminated may be by the Ministry of Education or Royal Education Council (REC) then all the schools would at least practice those values. 
TP2m: I think there should be GNH education in all the schools and it should be uniform throughout all the schools in the country. I say this because in some schools the cultural programs are asked to do but in some school there is no mandate. If we do not make them do, then it is not uniform.
TP6f: Yes because I think Bhutanese children must have the same knowledge. If preference is given to the school to school, some school will not do because I came from Phuntsholing and in that school we were not asked to put GNH values in the lessons but after reaching here the academic head asked the teachers to put GNH values into our daily lesson plans. Principal asked us to put in the lesson and I had the tough time doing that but now I got used to and I am doing it. I think it should be uniform. 
TP5m: Uniformity should be there in all the schools of Bhutan. In some schools they are trying their best, in some schools they are not bothering, and we have the students graduating and they have learned those values and they have understood, then they are well mannered. It is just like a small potato in a full sack. For example, 5 students understood GNH but there are 95 students who do not understand the GNH and naturally these five will be discouraged later on. If government wants to implement, the uniformity should be there and it should be compulsory for all the schools in Bhutan. At present, they are just telling ok infuse it, infuse it and no evaluation, no monitoring and completely left to the school.
TP3m: It is important to have a uniform value integration because our kids have right to know the Bhutanese values as our identity. These days some school practice but some do not seem to do that. 
TP4f: May be we could have a standard but I think it should be left out with the teachers how to infuse the GNH values - flexibility for them. It becomes too rigid otherwise and when we try to dictate that’s when the rebellious sight comes and some teachers may want to do it also. 
TP8f: I think it has to do with which grade you are teaching. Sometime when we infuse GNH in class six or classes PP to VI or PP to VIII, they are not aware of what is GNH. They would know about that when they reach in higher grades but if we teach smaller kinds values like punctuality but that thing we can teach but greater level, it is difficult to inculcate in every grade. 
TP7m: Yea if we can yes. There is never a situation where we do not talk. I do not talk that one should try to be a good student for example. One should try to be a good human being. Often my friends come and say that I talk too much and maybe I do not cover my syllabus because I talk more. I said that is true I talk. I tell them that I not only teach subjects but also I talk how to be a good human being. In the end what remains or what should remain in our student’s mind is education. The subjects that we teach will be forgotten one day. The formulas that we teach today will be forgotten one day but what should remain as true education is to be a good human being. 
TP10m: Infusing GNH is required in all Bhutanese schools and throughout the nation because the GNH value and life skills uphold our Bhutanese values. It should teach us how to be compassionate and how to help one another in times of need and distress. Otherwise we will be like a physical machine. GNH values are very important. 
TP9f: Yes, it is important to have GNH infusion in all the school in Bhutan because it is important for the citizens. Every individual is important for Bhutan. Every child is important for Bhutan. Every child is going to become the future citizen of Bhutan. So, all the future citizens must have equal access to such GNH knowledge and values related to Bhutan. This has to be infused in every school located in the nook and corner of Bhutan.  
TP11m: GNH is essential to have in all the schools of Bhutan, when our country is known for the happiness country. So, they should be included in all the schools but as I said first pour knowledge into our teachers properly. Do not misguide them. Do not let them misguide our children, who are our future nation builders. If teachers themselves don’t have any knowledge and when they are asked to follow the GNH values or tell students something they do not have anything. So, better first equip our teachers properly. Give them enough seminars or workshops. Let them understand what the values, what do you mean by GNH and how can you implement, first let them know themselves and later let them guide their children. 
TP12f: Yes GNH curriculum is essential to all the Bhutanese schools. If we have these integrated values, at least the students will learn little. Even the dullest students will think that it must be for some reason that the teachers are saying and teaching these GNH values. I feel it is good to infuse GNH into the school curriculum. 

TP1f: Yes it is very relevant because it deals with a lot about values. Oh, it is quite hectic for the teachers to talk about GNH values in their class in every lesson so we could have a separate class for separate lessons then it would be. Our objective will be achieved better. But they (Ministry) have never monitored whether just by declaring that GNH is infused, it is. We never know whether the teachers in the field are actually infusing it or not. Motivating teachers is very important. It is relevant but not very effective.

TP2m: If teachers are aware I think it will be relevant because we do not have to have a separate GNH period, GNH subject. So, if we can if teachers can infuse it, I feel it is a very good way of doing it. But I do not know how many of the teachers are doing it or making it happen in the classrooms. We are doing it as far as possible.

TP6f: Yes, it is very relevant because our children they learn so many topics but they do not know what values they have and at the end of the topic they are not able to tell. For example, when we ask, if there is any application of this topic to their life, they are not able to tell us. If we guide them through this GNH, I think they will learn. 

TP5m: No, because of the prescribed books and we are not trained also. We have to plan and we have to spend lots of time trying to find out or integrate that GNH value in the lesson. So, naturally for us it becomes really difficult. We are trying to infuse it but we do not know if we are doing the correct things or not. There should be ready-made resources (books/guidelines) so that it will be easier for us. It is relevant but not effective. 

TP3m: Integration is yet to come. Of course, some subjects might have an integrated approach but in most of the subject integration is yet to come. The syllabus is never changed. It has been there since my time, in subjects like Geography and History, there is not much change. It was there before 2015. Nothing is mentioned about GNH and even the syllabus itself is not in line with GNH because it has been there before GNH came to school. The syllabus has been there since our time. It has not changed. It needs to change in order to be able to teach GNH values and not just learning bookish knowledge but real life learning (values) that can help in their lives. The content of the curriculum should be value laden.

TP4f: Very relevant. It is very relevant. It is very necessary and actually it should be made mandatory also, because I think especially at the stage we have reached right now and if you look at our youth, I mean we are going wrong somewhere. Something went wrong. It is very relevant and necessary. I am not sure of the effectiveness because I do not know when they actually removed the teaching of value education lessons in schools. 

TP8f: I think somehow it is a relevant approach to teaching GNH values to our students. We are asked and we do it but I think it depends on the individual, how we carry it out.. In some relevant topics we can infuse the GNH values but in some we cannot infuse the GNH values. I think we have to change the content of the subject to align with the GNH values. We have some subjects, like now we have agriculture subjects and environmental science. These help us to teach some GNH values. 
TP7m: An integrated approach is relevant only to some extent because I say that we are already burdened because there is too many other exam related things to be taught within that subject. And little time that we can spare for the GNH values. The best alternative would be to probably have a separate subject for example.  Why all the subjects that we teach in school are in English. There is nothing that is there in a subject where we teach a person to be a good person, nothing. At the most we have some stories and poems but otherwise it is not learned as a separate subject. There is never a subject, at least in Bhutan, but I do not know about outside the country if we learn values as a different subject, where there is exam, where students learn and become aware of things that are necessary to make ourselves and others happy.  And if we values as separate subjects it may work rather than assuming that things are taught in the classroom because the curriculum people expect us to teach but there is no ways and means to assessments to see whether things are there or not. We even do not try very much to cover that up in the examinations to test whether students have learned anything or not. 

TP10m: There is no specific method about how to infuse. They have just given us the idea that the GNH value can be infused in our lesson wherever and whenever possible. Of course that idea is good, infusing is relevant but from my point of view I will say that it has not been that effective. First thing is there is nothing to measure to find out how students know about GNH values. So, there are no scores, there is no proper assessment. This way we feel that it is not seriously implemented. Second thing is again the time constraints. Third is we need a kind of training or workshop because we are dealing with the human behavior. It has to be properly organized and properly implemented. 

TP9f: It is relevant but when it comes to effectiveness, I cannot really say. Maybe just infusing is easy for some content and not so easy in some of the other content. There should be in the form of other approaches presented side by side, maybe other co-curricular activities, which will help us to inculcate the value. So, just infusing is relevant but effectiveness is questionable. 

TP11m: Relevancy is good but our Ministry is too serious. In the beginning I said that it is a national policy, understanding is more important. Last year I heard on the news that some of the international students want to come here in the schools and k now what GNH actually is and how it is implemented. They wanted to learn about GNH from our country. I think these students have been sent back to their countries with someone stating that it is just our national policy and nothing concrete is implemented in the schools. So, as I said we are rushing too much on this. First we should know about GNH values by ourselves. The citizens must know about the GNH values first.  

TP12f: I think it is relevant but not effective as many teachers do not exactly know how to infuse it into their daily lessons.

TP1f: Role modeling is very important. It has been always emphasised by our administrators especially teachers. As teachers we cannot, what our administrators say is you cannot do what you wish or talk whatever way you want to talk or do activities which are against the social norms. We have to be always conscious because we have to be the role model to our students. For example, if a teacher smokes, he or she cannot smoke in open area, if a teacher is taking a doma (beetle nut), he or she cannot take inside the classroom or in the assembly or even…he has to or she has to take in places where students cannot view. Role modeling is very important. In the scale of ten, I would mark ten. 
TP2m: Role modeling is very important. Instead of telling them to pick up the papers, if we show them how to pick, role modeling is very important. Students look at us.
TP6f: Role model is also very important because our children they always look at the teacher. If you are role model in front of the children I think about 80 to 90% they pick up from the teachers. So, role modeling is very important. For example like punctuality, if the teachers are not punctual in the school as teacher I will feel guilty of myself to tell the children to come to the school if I am not on time myself. 
TP5m: If the teachers are not the role models, we cannot remember the good teachers today because those teachers were not only good in teaching but also well mannered, and had good bahaviour. We come across so many teachers but we don’t remember all. We could remember few of them. So role modeling by teachers is very important. 
TP3m: Role modeling is very important actually because students usually learn from teacher only. Whatever we teach we have to practice. So role modeling is very important. Especially the way we dress, your attitude, your behaviour like if you are smoking and drinking, children will definitely learn even if you say to the children not to smoke or eat doma (betel nut) if you do all this. Children will not listen to the teachers. Role modeling is very important for teacher.
TP4f: Role modeling is important but also we feel lot of stress and pressure tremendously on teachers. Because we feel like everyone is watching us and that gives us pressure also because sometimes we make mistakes also. A teacher can make the mistake. Another person can make the mistake but the fault is like more to teacher and we are blamed more for it. It is highlighted in the media. So, there is pressure but role modeling is important for all the kids. 
TP8f: I think we as a teacher, we have to be role model. Whatever we do and give as reflection we have to be a role model.
TP7m: One of the most difficult things for the teacher is to be a role model. If a teacher can be a role model, I think this will really inspire students. Any role model if there is, people will get inspired because students lack such inspirational personality. I tell my friends as a senior teacher that if a teacher is good even a naughty student knows who is a good teacher. That we have to always be mindful. Young people will not understand now but I always try to advice this. So, it is very important that wherever possible we should be a role model because students though they may not talk to us, though they may not interact with us, or they may not respect us, but they always watch us. We have to keep that in mind. Even in the class the naughtiest student knows who is a good teacher. 
TP10m: Role modeling by teachers is very important because whatever we do that’s what student will learn. So, from my side role modeling by the teachers is very important. Therefore, teacher has to always meaningfully participate in a group activity, meaningfully be with the students and meaningfully be with students at all times. The teachers should talk our heart out to students so that students start believing in us. Whatever talk that we give, it should be related with the values, GNH concepts that we teach them. So, role modeling is very important because students learn what teachers do. We should not do things which are quite opposite to the GNH. 
TP9f: This role modeling by teachers what I belief is a 100%. This is one of the difficult things to really ensure that all the teachers can be role models. This is one of the biggest challenges I am seeing. I mean it is very important for the teachers to be the role model. What type of person you are exhibiting our values in front of the children, everyday behaviour and everyday action are very important. For instance, talk about the assembly. It is such an important forum or place and time where whole school is coming together to start the day. Everyone should give lot of importance to that. We insist children standing there and say do not talk ok like that but teachers are all around somewhere busy talking, playing with mobile and how can you infuse GNH like this. And who should be responsible to look into this? That is very important. This kills me when I see this personally because I really belief in values even in my family also I do not emphasize my children in content. I do not pressurize them in getting 10 out of 100 in examinations but I emphasize in values. To be honest I feel I have been successful in that and they excel but when it comes to values, I would say my kids are better than me. So, that is important. Role modeling is very important. That is what is lacking in many of us in school. We say something but with the type of bahaviour we exhibit are very different. For instance, we talk about respecting the teachers in the class. You are teaching the lesson in the class. You are there in the class but teachers comes from the outside talks to the child through the window and ask something when a teacher is already teaching in the class. To be honest, I really hate such behaviour of teachers. It may look very simple but this is what our children are seeing in us. Students observe teachers. If we do that ourselves, then what we expect our children to do. You are there in the class and somebody comes and just enters. No courtesy to say sorry. Ask permission from the teacher who is teaching inside. That is what the children will learn. They are observing us. All this small things some petty but the way we talk, the way we address another person are very important. For instance, we have our Night Guard and in front of our children never call him by his name. They are elderly people. Maybe uncle or Ata and something like that to address and these are small things but very important for the children. So, role modeling is 100% important for me. Role modeling is one of the determining factors influencing the successful implementation of the GNH values infused curriculum in school. To share with you this year my son went to other school, in boarding school and I don’t know what he felt, I was just talking over the phone, he was telling me ‘Ama you tell our Principal to make teachers like here.’ I do not know what he felt. The teachers are so different and culture is so different. He told me ‘Tell Principal to have one staffroom because it is like this here.’ So, much of corporation between the teachers and  it has been just few months, I think only one or two months he went there, he observed that difference. I even shared some of my friends here. My son is also very observant. He really values the values. He really respects that and then he was telling that it makes lot of difference that when you are having different departments and all, I do not know academically how much help is there but it really divides the people. Oneness is not there. When there is no oneness among the teachers, it is observed by the children and they are really clever and they see everything. We feel that they do not see anything but I know the way my children share with me. Certain thing can be under the control of the administration. Every character cannot be controlled and individual differences are there but the conduction of Assembly is solely under the Principal. If Principal says once or twice and what is there if we have to correct, correct it. Come and tell right at the face. I think the second time the teacher will not repeat it. Maybe it is not hurting the teachers but it is inculcating the values. There are so many eyes around us. If you are hurting the teacher for few minutes but the positive impact will be so much. We have to weigh that. This sort of things should be looked at by the school. 
TP11m: Very recently I cut my hair and the principal said that ok now you are the role model for the school. I too agree that teachers are the role models for the students. In my class, I reasoned why I cut my hair short. I did not say that it was too long and I cut. I said with the rising of the temperature, very hot I do not get time. See after cutting the hair I feel cool. I do not have to put the fan continuously. I am saving the energy. Second, I do not have to waste my money – hair oil is saved, gels are saved, time is saved. I do not have to go there and wash my head. So, through this, we can always encourage. Being a role model we can always teach values to students. This is the example of hair cut. Another one is proper dressing. You dress up properly. Students will copy you. Role models by teachers are very important. If you see the essays written by the students, we can see so much about teachers.
TP12f: According to me what I feel is the teachers should be the role model. If the teacher drinks or comes drunk in the school, what values the teacher is going to impart. If he does not drink in the school and drinks in the bar nearby what values he is going to give. If the teachers take tobacco in the class and goes out to throw, what values the teacher is going to give to the students. So I feel, the teachers should be the role model, use good language in front of the students, behave properly, be honest and be punctual.
TP1f: School policy about the infusing the GNH values into the curriculum content is necessary. Giving values to students first of all is very important. It helps them the way they conduct and even their behaviour will ultimately lead to what they are going to be in future. So if it is there in the policy then we consciously use those values in the policy and infuse in the curriculum. 
Actually the school policy says that whatever we teach, it has to be geared towards GNH values only but sometimes, there is no monitoring and because of that some of the teachers may not follow it strictly. We have a focal person but this year the focal teacher is also very silent. There were no activities initiated on GNH, especially this year, especially in this school but in my previous school, infusing GNH values into the curriculum used to be very active. 
TP2m: Anything to go nicely in school, policy is very important.  If there is no policy, teachers hardly take it seriously. We do not have as such a policy. I do not remember, we do not have written policy but we are always aware of GNH values,  tell teachers to infuse and we just remind that it is our school and it is our students and we all have to try our best to make the students aware of  a GNH school.
TP6f: It is important because if we do not have policy and if we are not briefed by the school then we will not be able to use the GNH values in our teaching. Because as a subject coordinator myself last year we were asked to fill up the GNH values that the teachers are using in their classrooms and we have a form for that to assess. At that time some teachers they have not used and I asked why you have not used and what they said was they were not able to identify the GNH values. And if we do not have a school policy, the teachers will not listen and implement the GNHIC.
TP5m: Of course school policy is very important but at the same time the management should also have some clear idea about how to implement the GNHIC. Otherwise the every school will have the policy but who knows that they will have the different idea. There should be uniformity of such policy in all the schools of Bhutan. There should be uniform plan from the centre for the schools of Bhutan. At least some guidelines and if they keep us with just four domains and some indicators, these will not help us. 
TP3m: I think having school policy about GNH infusion is very important. We heard that because in the beginning of the year we have meetings and so we have to discuss how to implement this GNH and how to make our lessons infusing GNH values. So, we were briefed also and reminded by our Principal and even as HOD I have reminded my colleagues and all.
TP4f: Having school policy about infusing the GNH values is necessary. We should have policy so that everyone follows it. If we do not make it formal and have it on paper may be some of us may not take it so seriously. If we have that then we could implement successfully. 
TP8f: Sometime we take it easy and take it for granted. Some Bhutanese even if they take Doma (betel nut), they feel it is GNH. It is something that we use liberally. If we have some kind of policy upon which we should use GNH in every context. Now our little children they do something they say it is a GNH. I think we have to have policy stating that teachers must infuse GNH values into their daily lessons. Not only that as saying goes ‘charity begins at home’, the parents must also teach the GNH values to their children. 
TP7m: Having school policy about the implementation of GNH education is must. We must have a written policy.
TP10m: I think GNH school policy is required because if there is a policy and if it is implemented then only the seriousness or the meaningful implementation may materialize. Otherwise, if there is no policy and not properly implemented then from my side it is just useless.
TP9f: It is good to have a policy because you will be in track, you will be reminded of GNH if we had a school policy on the GNH infused curriculum. There is nothing bad about having a policy. 
TP11m: Having school policy about the GNH infused curriculum is necessary as it is one of the strategies. If we allow them and implement then only we will be learning. So, it is one of the strategies to implement the GNH infused curriculum.
TP12f: It is necessary to have school policy but according to me if we have a separate subject for GNH, it will be better. The teacher will teach only the values. Let the teacher teach the lesson only. While teaching the lesson, naturally the values will come in between that time the teacher should not forget to impart the values to students. When I was a student, you know I have spent 39 years in teaching service and as a student means more than 40 years back, we had book on moral science. That time we had separate book. Sometimes it comes in my memory, we had moral science, and it was a big book. We used to love that book so much. Like nowadays students love PE classes because they can go out and play. But that time we did not have PE and all reading, reading all the time and that was teacher centred school.  We used to love that book and it has nice stories and at the end the moral was given there. Moral science means everybody used to be very excited. So, if that type of lesson is introduced, students really enjoy and they will also not get spoilt. 

TP1f: Child centred teaching approach is there. It is actually reflected in the curriculum also but most of us do not practice it. It is because the students in the class are very huge. If we start using activities, whereby students have to perform one by one, it takes lot of time. Even group activities become very chaos. And most of the time we do class activities as a whole. Most of the time teachers land up doing the work. If I talk about my Science lessons I take my students for particular activity in the Science lab but I hardly provide students to those activities by themselves because it takes lot of time and there are lots of students in the class.

TP2m: Yes, we try our best to have a child centred teaching in the class despite the time constraint and other challenges.

TP6f: Most of the time we are using the student centred approach to teaching but due to the limited time we are using our own especially that construction and all. What I used to do is I write down the steps on the chart papers and paste on the board and they have to follow the chart and construct the shapes. And if there is no time then I used to go together with the children. I just write the information on the chart and let them read the chart one by one and they follow and whenever there is question and then I just go around and help them. 

TP5m: We try our best. For me I always try that child centred teaching. But I cannot say my teaching is always the child centred approach. In math we have so many questions. Students solve the questions in group through group work and discussion methods. Sometime we ask them to solve the math problem on the board. 

TP3m: Yes, I let my students do presentation, project work, field trips and so on but I infuse values as I teach the lesson topics. But I wish we had fewer syllabuses to cover so that we get time to do all GNH related activities. 

TP4f: Absolutely, as I said that we do lots of role play by students in English classes. Yes more of student centred and I think our English curriculum is designed that way only.

TP8f: Yes, students do presentation, dramatization, project work, field trips, etc, which are all child centred teaching approaches. 

TP7m: I think with the modern teaching pedagogy, much of the activities that we have designed in the text books are the student centred learning and the good part of this is it keeps students engaged because though they do not have a command over their understanding of language and all, especially the science subjects, I think it is very useful. Because the science curriculum says ‘learning by doing’ now though it may not be applicable to all other subjects. I think we have started well and the students are really enjoying it and they are kept engaged. There is no room for students sleeping for example. During the warm summer weather, it is very difficult to keep students mind and body engaged into the lessons. When they carry out their own activities among groups or themselves helps them lot because learning by doing is one of the best ways to learn. We must encourage this. 
TP10m: In almost all the lessons, I use the child centred approach. For example, if I ask a question I seek help from the students to tell me the answer. I will make them to tell me the answer. Either by giving hints and by relating something they have learned a day before. We have to give more focus to the child.  That is what I do in the class. 
TP9f: Yes I do use a child centred approach to teaching. To be honest, it is very practical in the lower classes but as we move to the higher classes, especially grades 9, 10, a child centred approach becomes lesser. The concept becomes the higher level. If we just leave them with the group activity, they will not learn properly and that’s what I am feeling. The way I teach in class six but the way I teach in class nine becomes very difficult. In class nine it has become more of teacher centred and more of information and explanation. But in class six and seven we are able to have that group activity. Till class eight, the curriculum design is that we can have a group activity but class nine onwards it is so much of content and content. 
TP11m: Yes most of time there is child centred approach such as science practical, group presentation, etc.

TP12f: The science curriculum is designed in a child centred approach way. When we teach we mostly leave to the students. In olden days we were not allowed to talk with friends, discuss with friends and once the work was given to students, whether we know or do not know we had to do. But now child centred is there. Students can discuss in the group. The students are also kept in the group only nowadays. 
TP1f: What I feel is it is very important. This GNH education would help students to build their characters and today we see students doing so many anti-social activities. If we could promote this education very nicely then we can keep away students going against the rules and regulations of the schools.
TP2m: Whether GNH education is as important as an academic education also depends on what government says. If they say GNH education should be at par with academic education, then we have to have that. It depends on situation. To preserve our culture, it is very important and also preservation of environment and 70% of forest cover is very important.  For example, in case of class 10 results, if they get only 20 and 30 in mathematics and if they get Dzongkha, History, Geography, English and if they get very high marks, if they qualify and so they qualify. So I feel mathematics subject is not that important to qualify to class 11. If all the subjects are not treated equally important, they do not just take seriously. It boils down to the policy of the government and Ministry of Education.
TP6f: Yes GNH education is as important as an academic education. I think our children do not know the value of our country because what they think is our country is underdeveloped country and what they usually do is they just copy the lifestyle of others. Why our children are doing that is they do not know the value of our culture.  Students do not value the GNH classes and all. I think it is very important to have a GNH education. 
TP5m: Yes, GNH education is important but if we look at the present scenario, graduates get job if their academic marks are good. The system does not demand the value judgment.
TP3m: Yea it is actually important know that GNH education is as important as an academic education. Now academic means they are just learning to get the marks but passing through GNH infused students means they are not just learning in academic but they will also become a good human being. They will learn overall social economic development, overall like psycho-social personal, they know how to behave well, dress well, what are the importance of dressing well, what is the importance of preservation of the culture, how to talk in what manner with the stranger, with the seniors, and juniors, what are the importance, they will learn everything under GNH. Whereas in curriculum, we have to teach just the subject and if people focus on just the subject, then they will not become a proper human being.
TP4f: Definitely GNH education is as important as an academic education. I believe actually that I am very idealistic. I believe that education can actually change, reform and bring about the good changes. I believe that the education curriculum should be based on the needs of the current situation. So, we should actually based our curriculum what is going wrong in the society and change the curriculum according to that so that we can make the changes. 
TP8f: I think GNH education is as important as an academic education. Academic wise, we are preparing students for more of materialistic life. If you are materialistic, sometime you become like a robot without any emotions. GNH is full of emotions. The balance between the wealth and the spiritual wellbeing and so in academic we can let them be successful but at the same time if we could inculcate some kind of values though domains I think we are preparing them academically and at the same time we are training them to be a good human. So, it is important. 
TP7m: Let me say GNH education is as important as an academic education. When we say GNH or values we try to instill in a person, we are working towards refining an individual physically, socially, mentally and emotionally. If we want a sound citizen in future, we have to instill these values. We may talk about a student who tops in examination, who does very well in academic for example. Of course to be able to get a job this will help them very much and this exam result will just be a passport and it will just be a certificate to get the job. Now once in the job for example in future, though that child will be very skilled with all the knowledge required in that field but if that person does not have a positive attitude, good manner, work ethics, dedication, sincerity, patriotism  and whatever that will not count at all. That is why in career education we try to teach you know that 15% probably is academic, 85% is attitude. You must have excelled in examination for example, once in the job if you did not have dedication and all, you would not have become Principal for example. That is why this value should come there. In the end we want a good human being not just a skilled worker. In one way it is a very difficult thing but we can think of understanding this as a better thing. I studied in India for two years, there I learned that professors, teachers, lecturers treat students not like a human being. They treat like a machine. They teach whatever they teach we should learn and nothing about how we should be a good person in life. In the end what will matter is how good you are and I think only such GNH values if you can instill in them besides providing how to solve a mathematics problems. I think we should teach them how to be a good human being. This is a bigger problem because there is not steps like we see in mathematics problem, there are certain steps and formulas but I think to be a good human being there are no formulas. 

TP10m: That is what I said that GNH is much more important than an academic education because a person without a value, no matter how much he qualified is actually nothing. GNH values are much more important than academic education.

TP9f: Sometime I feel that GNH should be more than an academic education because even if you excel academically so well, later if we do not have certain values, for instance, being a responsible person, a sense of responsibility if you like I think it would have more use. I think if we have to weigh, GNH education is more important. But of course the system demands the academic that’s why output is more because you are getting to higher classes based on your academic output. From class ten you qualify based on your marks and twelve also you qualify based on your marks. At present academic is important but let there be some mechanism to assess the values too. That would be good even for the trainings and all. We have teachers coming with no aptitude of becoming a teacher. There is no option and that is what happens.
TP11m: I do not support GNH education is as important as an academic education. At the end of the day, summative and examination counts there, not your values, not your attitude. You are judged or ranked first only because of the exam. You are selected as a best student and one criterion is you should be the topper. GNH education does not mean it is not important. Again I will be saying this, we had been doing this. We have these good values all the Bhutanese have and we get these good values from our teacher, even our parents and even from our kings. Now we are just identifying it and these are the GNH values. At the end again, the academic marks counts a lot.  You attend any interview and they will just see your marks. If your marks are good they will just shortlist you. 
TP12f: I support the statement GNH education is as important as the academic education because with the values they are going to build up themselves, what they want to be in future. If they do not have the values, then he or she will not be able to become a good person. So, GNH values should be treated at par with the academic education.
TP1f: Yea, I also feel like this because sometimes teachers forget to talk about values in the process of teaching. If we have a particular separate subject then we make sure that we integrate these values. 
TP2m: To have a separate subject or period, I think we would have to reduce the periods given to other subjects. I am afraid that the academic may hamper this. I feel that if teachers can infuse GNH values into their daily teaching subjects, I feel that it is not necessary to have separate GNH subject. And because of CRP, we have to give one period. It is very difficult to adjust our periods as a manager in the school. On Saturdays we are asked to do PDs so it hampers it because even in five days all the periods are not fitting. 
Yes, it will be a benefit if they really put in a separate subject and have one or two periods per week. If there is no assessment part then students will not take very seriously. In case of CRP (Computer related program), we actually try to show it in the progress report. We try to tell them that it is an important subject, it will help you in the 21st century world. It is an IT world and you will need it. How much we tell them they hardly take an interest in having CRP. If it is not included in the result sheet, I feel they hardly take interest. That is our concern.

TP6f: I do agree. If there is a separate subject I think students will have better ideas. Students will learn about the GNH values in that particular subject and at the same time they are in a position to relate what are the topics they are learning which are GNH related.  I think they should be presented in both ways, the integrated approach in all the subjects and at the same time teaching values through a separate GNH subject. I think many of our children are not able to identify the application of what they have learned. 
TP5m: I do not think so because children already have so many subjects to learn. Even for pre-primary kids, they have to learn four subjects. And when they come to classes 7 and 8 they have nine subjects and when they go on to classes 9 and 10 they have ten to eleven subjects. If you go on adding the subject it will be burdensome to kids. Of course, if we design a syllabus that shows how to integrate the GNH values into the existing curriculum that would be more meaningful but the thing is we can evaluate it somewhere in every lesson. But the first thing they should design is a syllabus which shows teachers how to infuse values into the lessons. It is not like in Maths where you give 100% questions where you have to score a minimum of 40 marks. If we have a separate subject you are adding the burden to the kids. Especially the weaker ones will find it tough. 

TP3m: Yea, if possible that is also very important. If there is a separate subject for GNH, that will be important for the rest of the subjects also because they will be learning GNH in one particular period or in one particular chapter. So, it will be easier for other subjects also and other teachers also. Because they have already learned how to implement the subject that I am teaching in their real life they already know because they are already taught in a separate subject called GNH. We don’t have to infuse GNH and don’t have to take extra time for that. That would be very relevant. We can infuse GNH values but we do not have to work extra. We do not have to give extra talk and all this. If students are taught GNH in a separate subject, we can ask them to relate it to the GNH subject/content learned. There should be infusion of values in all subjects as well as teaching of GNH values in a separate subject. What I feel is first we have to change the syllabus and at the same time we should have a separate GNH subject. The syllabus should be made in such a way that it is in line with GNH.
TP4f: It should be in-fused with our lessons but I feel this should be also because GNH values are very important for our kids. 
TP8f: I think it should be taught but it has to be reflected like it should have some kind of grade system or marking system, where we can compile a result. Like sometime we have subjects like Biology, we just teach them but there is no assessment. If there is no assessment the students will not take it seriously. They never read about it or assign their interest. So if we have some kind of assessment for that, I think we can teach the GNH values successfully.

TP7m: Probably yes, that would help I think. Then even teachers will be aware of what to teach and we do not necessarily have to give an extra burden to that particular teacher, who is already teaching Mathematics or English or Chemistry or Biology. We already have the problem with the content of the subject that we teach and there is another thing to be taught which we ourselves are not well versed in. (How will you differentiate between the GNH subject and GNHIC?) As of now, the Department has tried to infuse these values inside the curriculum but we also have so many subjects that are already there. So we did not have much discussion on this GNH value. Last year we tried to develop a new History curriculum. There we tried to put these topics into these GNH values. I think when the entire curriculum is re-designed with GNH values in it, it should work but if we really want our students to be educated about GNH, I would say that a separate subject will help. We should also have trained teachers. 

TP10m: If GNH is taught as a separate subject, then it will be good because we will assess on what are the things they have learned. But teaching GNH in separate subjects and totally delinking from other subjects will hamper in achieving the GNH values by our students. It has to be taught separately but at the same time it has to be infused in all the subjects. How it has to be infused, the methods should be there. It has to be printed and given in our text books also. What values are to be learned by the students and how it is infused should be there in the texts. Then only it will become a meaningful learning process. 

TP9f: I think when you are teaching it as a separate subject, it becomes like a burden, an additional subject to children. When we talk about that values and values, they will become a sort of fed up and they like to listen to different topics. So, not as a separate subject, infusion is good. But it has to be ensured that everybody infuses the GNH values into the lessons. Maybe time to time have an activity or sessions, where you are talking about the GNH values, but, not as a subject every day. That will decrease the importance of its value, thus devalue it.
TP11m: When you say that GNH should be taught as a separate subject, now human resources count here again, who is going to teach that? If I am allowed I cannot. I do not know much about GNH so how can I go and teach my students when policy says it does not mean that you can go and misguide the students. One option is trainee teachers can take electives and get trained on it. Include it in the modules at the teaching colleges. This subject can be taught at the college level. Later on they can come to our school and teach. But for us, we should be given a good orientation; we should be given good workshops on this then only we can teach it. Otherwise, I too feel that it is not necessary. Infusing is enough. 
TP12f: Yes, I already recommended that and I feel that should be there. Now I think that we teachers are overburdened. Everything is under the teacher only. I think life skills are also a type of values. It comes under teacher too. (GNH) also, agriculture, this, that and everything should be covered by the teacher. If we had separate teachers for those and separate teachers for the academic, I think the result would be better. Students will be improved also. Like moral science that I talked about. If we had different teachers for these programs, students may love to go and attend but now I am infusing the GNH itself, the lower achievers may not understand about GNH. So, if we have a separate teacher, separate subject, it would be better. 

TP1f: Parents especially. What I have come across is we have parents who are working, both the parents are working and even if both the parents are educated they still do not support us. Because they must be thinking that it is the duty of the teacher to bring up the children. Once they admit the students, child in the school, I feel that some parents feel now that their duty is over, their duty is to just to send their children to school. Hardly any parents bother about what is going in the school. Even if we call the parents, invite the parents, some parents never turn up. If a student goes to a private school, I have seen a lot of difference there. If a student goes to a private school, the parent has to pay and the whole school is responsible for the child’s promotion and all. There we have seen parents participating very actively. But in the government schools, most of the parents are negligent. The school has initiated a parenting program, school based school parenting program, and it was done twice. Once it was completed with a set of students from a few classes, another time with another set but it did not make sure that all the parents of all the students were involved. Only a few parents of selected students were involved. Till now we have not taken any action. I do not know if it is wise to take action on them or not. We need a lot of support from the school administrator for this. If a teacher tries to ask the parents to come, few parents do not turn up. There the school authority should be dealing with those parents and making them participate in all the activities the school carries out.  
TP2m: Yea. That is right. I do not know, they are not telling their parents when they are going to the towns and shops they are always with shorts and pants. School has a policy stating that parents must help in this and that areas. We tell them during the teacher and parent meetings. We do parenting programs with parents. We do it in two ways,  1. Parent teacher meeting in a very big group, 2. SPA meetings with only few selected parents. 
TP6f: Compared to other districts who have a little bit of support, there is more here. Until now some parents were not that supportive. Last time there was a problem and we called the parent, but that parent was asking to solve the problem over the phone. When told that the school wanted to discuss a problem about her child, the parent got so angry and came to the office and told us that the main reason for paying teachers by the government and keeping in the school was to look after the children. About 10% of the parents are not that supportive. What they think is teachers are there to look after their children. We have parenting programs to make these groups of parents understand the importance of their support to their kids and schools. We also have parenting programs for those parents of the problematic kids from each class. This year we had parent teacher meetings with the parents of classes 7 and 8 students. 
TP5m: The parents’ support is very less. They hardly bother. I do not mean all the parents but there are some parents, the majority of the parents don’t bother. The school management side tries their best to bridge the gap between the parents and teachers/school. We have the parent-teacher meetings. We have two parent-teachers’ meetings in a year, which includes the parenting one. 
TP3m: There are mixed types of parents. Some parents are really supportive. They say you do whatever you feel like, if my child is improving that is what I want. Improving means not just in academic areas but behaviour, attitude and all as well. Of course, there are some parents also who never listen. In an urban area like Thimphu we have lots of problems especially with youth. Students learn more and listen more to their friends.  There is peer pressure outside rather than listening to teachers. We have peer tutoring, we have counseling, gathering and also before students leave for vacation, counselors and principals give lots of advice about how to engage in meaningful activities during the vacation and stay safe and refrain from ill habits and bad friends. Besides the teacher parent meetings, we also have the parenting program. We used to call the parents of the students who used have problems like disciplinary, attitude and all.
TP4f: To be honest, sometime when I see some parents and how some of them behave, ok I think, we cannot really blame the children because the parents themselves behaved that way. They tell us things like you should discipline our kids, you have to do this. No problem, even if you beat them, but should a problem arises then they take their kids’ sides. Then it is like my kid is not like that, they are in denial. I do not know if they are really supportive but at the same time seemed not so supportive. I don’t know.
TP8f: We are second parents. If parents could guide their own children from the early stage about values, we would not have the difficulty in communicating what the values should be. I think parents should be more supportive. We have been doing the parenting program regarding the special children. Their parents are called here. Staff sits together with children. Those values are there. And in parent teacher meetings (PTA), we teach about educating and taking care of their own children. I think parents support is more important. Some parents so are divorced, so students come to school and they are mentally disturbed. That happiness is not there. Sometime their parents fight and sometime there are parents who hardly take care of their children. So, those students’ self esteem is down. Despite our guidance, we can help those children coming from such parents. They should help with more infusing the GNH values into their children. 
TP7m: Personally I did not hear anything about the poor support from the parents but this could be probably because I would just like to assume that parents themselves do not have much idea about these things. So long as they lack the idea/s, I think one will have no support and may not support teachers. But even after knowing, also people do not show any support. In these terms we have to create awareness because as of now not all citizens are educated. We still have a good chunk of people who are illiterate. Even if they are literate, even if they are educated also, we are not educated on GNH. So, it will take time. We just cannot say that our parents are not supportive, this is not the solution. We have to think how we try to address this issue. A little support will make a difference. 
TP10m: I think it depends on parents to parents, I mean if we see places like Thimphu, the parents are well educated, the children are well educated, they will have a good understanding, good ethics, and good thinking about life. But children of some parents, if the children are coming from the broken family, these children will not have a positive outlook of life. So, parents’ support for GNH is very important. If parents give support right from their home, that is much more important than what teachers do in schools. There are not many provisions from the school and teachers sides except the parent teacher meetings. Because of that new individual work performance appraisal system, there is a mandate for the teachers that by the end of the year, a teacher should have at least met 75% of the parents. I will score more points if I had met that 75% level. From this year we have started, I am calling the parents of the students to discuss their kids’ performances and positive outlook on the life. Actually, value has to be instilled right from the home.
TP9f: Some are but some are not. We have parent- teacher meetings but other than this we do not have any parental programs. A very close relationship between the parents and school is lacking. Parent teacher meetings are large gatherings that mean a dissemination of some information only by the authority here. In such a large gathering only few will be able to come forward and talk about the issues. I think if we really want to infuse the GNH values in children, there should be a very close relationship between the school and the parents, maybe in a smaller group, maybe class-wise. Earlier we had something called a SPA program (a parenting program). I have worked as a focal teacher earlier in my previous school and maybe it was funded by UNICEF and we were able to carry out the program and I could see the outcome was quite good. It was quite interesting but now it is made as a part of the school program, where no external funding is available, thereby the schools are supposed to carry it out. I think all the schools are not able to carry out because of the budget problems. Once we call parents we have to arrange the refreshments and all. Maybe because of that, it is not there. The only time we meet with the parents is during the general meeting. So, there is a lack of proper coordination in the school. The proper coordination between the school and parents has to be there.
TP11m: I agree with the statement that there is poor support from the parents. When they do not know what GNH is, how can we expect the community to talk or say something about this. If you request them they always come and help us. See these are the GNH values and you come and help us. They are surprised with the term. On parenting about GNH, it is possible. Firstly, let them understand what GNH is. We do this in teacher parent meetings. We do it twice a year. Our principal always talks about it. But I am afraid they understand it or not.
TP12f: Some parents support but some do not because some are illiterate and some are not bothered even if they are educated.

TP1f: Besides academic, we have assessment criteria about students, like their attitudes, their cleanliness, how active they are in social work. We do assess in all those areas. We have records. Every teacher will have recorded who all come for social work, who all go for gardening, activities and then we also have to reflect in their progress report card at the end of the term.
TP2m: I do not see any. I do not assess. There is no school policy mandating the teachers to assess students on their value performances but as and when we do cultural and games and sports programs, we do assess. We do give them some prizes. We always tell them that losers should not lose hope and keep trying in future.
TP6f: As such I did not do any, but I used to assess students’ behaviours on their behaviour charts. I use this as the guiding principles for the children and have it on the classroom wall. That guiding principles I discuss with the children. They have to come up and whenever I put one point up and if they do not want to follow they say, no madam, we don’t want to follow and I don’t include that one. And based on that I have a behavioral chart in the classroom, for example, ground rule number one says, We will come to the school on time and if they do not coming on time then I just give one demerit point and then rest who come on time all merit points. But in regards to learning I didn’t do as such. 
TP5m: I do not assess that because the system doesn’t demand it from me. People tell me to infuse and I try to do that whenever the lesson topics allow me to do that.
TP3m: I think it is required. I was told that in India, some schools have to write papers on values. If we had such papers maybe our students would improve, because out here until and unless we compel them by doing an exam, they will not follow it strictly. They (students) learn more and listen more to friends rather than to us (they are vulnerable to their friends).
TP4f: I do not have anything like on paper but I try and assess their behaviour and how they improve. Have they become little better? Yea, I guess so but I do not know how we are going to assess the students on values. How would you assess? We have the EBA (Emotional Bank Account) system. We have this withdrawal and deposit system that gives us the overview of their character but so many times we can manipulate this EBA system of assessing students. So I do not know how you can assess that, unless we observe their behaviour. Except for the EBA, which all the class teachers have, I do not have a separate record for GNH values assessment of the kids.
TP8f: To be frank, so far I have not assessed GNH values. We just ask a question and inform them that when they avail the services of education and health they should know how to take care of the things. When we ask such questions, they really do not know why the government is using so much of money for their education and health services. So, questioning and answering could be one way of assessing the values. As such the marking record is not there. If it is a separate subject we need the assessment. For SUPW grade we assess,, then we have classroom competitions, conducive and taking care of your own property, maintaining your own classroom. So one way is to award them prizes and all. In that sense assessment is there, grade system, prize system, certificate award system but marking we never do that.
TP7m: Unless there is continuous assessment like other subjects, these GNH values are some kind of long term values that we teach to our students. Today we teach GNH values, and we can’t tell that tomorrow you have become a GNH person or a happy person. It is a long term thing. At the most we can teach some civic values. We should keep the classroom clean for example. Only a small thing we can see but overall it is a long term process. And we are also proud to see students remembering us now. I was there at Gyelpozhing school for 11 years and you can see most of my Facebook friends are the students of Gyelpozhing school and the way they try to keep in touch with me now. 90% of the Facebook friends I have now are not my friends but are my ex-students of Gyelpozhing for example. I think creates satisfaction for us to see students remembering us. Just saying, Hi to us makes us happy. Here we feel that we have done something in our teaching, that we have made them feel good. They have become a supportive father in a family. We see them serving the country with dedication and sincerity. It is a long way as I said. We should be proud to see all these things. We don’t have to put it in black and white. Ok you pass or fail but we wait and see the children you teach in future. The good part is we see most of them becoming a good person – a successful person. 
TP10m: There is no provision provided by the school to assess but of course they have kept those life skills. There is no physical measurement type of method where we can actually measure what they have learned. Of course they kept one period but it is just to go there, impart, teach and at the end there is nothing assessed. 
TP9f: I do not assess as such for values. The assessment is all about academics only. As of now there is no practice.
TP11m: We do not have a space for them to assess. We have in the lesson about the GNH values but we do not have a space to assess that. For example, he does whatever I say, he obeys to teachers, he shows good discipline, he helps his sisters and brothers, he comes to school on time, but I do not have a point where I can give him a grade or marks. Our system itself is focused too much on the academic. We need to revisit and give importance to both values and academics. I told you in the beginning that two hours papers should judge the students ability. It should be a long term assessment. For me it is very important.  
TP12f: I assess my students, by looking at their bahaviour. We have a student’s diary we maintain. Individual child diary, I have also. Whatever they do in the class, if they do a good thing, I write it and I will show them. He or she has done this, so I make them clap. Also if he did good things. If they speak bad language, fight with the smaller children, that also I record. I show them, saying if you repeat this some time you will fail also, the teacher will punish you. 

TP1f: I think value assessment is important because this can help even the arrogant students, students who do not behave well, we can bring them in track. When we remind them that they will be assessed on it like in the beginning of the year, when I have a new set of students, I ask them to bring their progress report card, especially not to check their academic performance which is reflected there but to check how they were performing in other activities. If they got BCD grades in other areas, then it gives an indication to me that that child is not very punctual, not sincere or maybe he does not take care of his personal hygiene. So I check all those aspects and then I keep on reminding those few students who did not get good grades in their previous class and those children who are refraining from social activities like SUPW, I remind them, you got grade B last year and that helps them to be more punctual.
TP2m: To help students learn more I think assessment is required. It should be there in their progress report and considered for promotion.
TP6f: Assessment is very important and useful because it is not all about exams but children have to live their lives and they have to serve our country so they should have values. 
TP5m: I think it is must to have assessment, how can you judge a person by looking at the academic marks? Who knows that that particular student is very bad in another field especially in manner and behaviour? If someone respects these values then only this particular boy or girl will be good in manners and behaviours.
TP3m: It is very important. Some of my friends are saying that when they are coming for an interview after their graduations, some are coming with long hair as if they are coming from the jungle. That means GNH is not present. The reason is we see different types of students, students graduating from within the country and students graduating from India. There is a vast difference between the bahaviours of these two groups of graduates. Students who are coming from within our country receive some value lessons and lessons on GNH so students are well behaved and their hairstyles are also Bhutanese. They have short hair, well dressed, and polite but the ones who are coming from India and the west are without manners, the way they talk, the way they act. As a teacher we have to start right from the school level only. Every year we have to submit character ratings and EBA to schools about if the students are well behaved, well dressed, or well groomed. We have to refer some needy students to the counselors for counseling and correction. Class teachers and counselors then groom the students.
TP4f: It is important but unless we know how to assess and measure the values, there might be some discrepancies in the assessment. No doubt it is important.
TP8f: If it is in a separate subject, I would recommend having an assessment and record system, because in different subjects we have different assessment criteria. It will not be fair enough if we just assess based on the infused GNH values. It is important to teach GNH values but there should be unity amongst the teachers to inculcate the values uniformly. 
TP7m: Even if we do not assess them on paper that assessment is always there. As teachers it is always there in our minds, we always know whether students are doing right or wrong, that is there whatever we try to teach. We teach many things but we should be happy even if a student learns one value. That is good for his or her life and to the society. I do not think we should have assessment now while infusing the GNH values unless it is brought in as a separate subject. If we have a separate subject, we must have assessment because as a separate subject there should be examination, writing and learning. Otherwise, we do not need it. We have some indicators as we see some changes in the behaviour of our students. As of now there is no assessment to assess students about the GNH education. To be frank, even the subjects that we teach is very difficult to assess.
TP10m: There is no exam, no assessment, no oral test and nothing to measure the taught lesson outcomes. From my view at least we need some kind of test, exam so that we can assess them and find out what students’ understanding levels are when it comes to the GNH values.
TP9f: I think assessment is important. If something is assessed then students will give importance to it also. If there is an area where you are assessed on values, then children will also give importance to it and they will learn and take it importantly in their lives. Just now only marks are important, they do not care about values. I think that would be good actually. Of course we do have that character certificate marking. On one side of the progress report, there are personal characteristics. There we are supposed to fill in but that is just for the sake of assessing the students. Normally, when the children go to other schools, the marks are seen but that is not really based on assessment. The child and teacher give their opinion. Sometimes you just give good, good to everyone. Teachers also do not give importance to that because it is not regarded as important anywhere else. It may be difficult to measure the value but if we have designed certain areas or activities through which we can assess, it may be possible. Sometimes it could be questioning or a certain activity based on GNH.
TP11m: I would recommend the inclusion of GNH assessment in the formal assessment of the students’ performances. My point is that we are talking too much about the GNH and at the end there no outcomes. 
TP12f: About the assessment of students on GNH values that I cannot say. According to my perspective, merging with other subjects is good also because they will improve their behaviours. I think students will practice more GNH values if there is weighting in their students’ progress report card. I think this because students may think that if I do this one, I may get fewer marks in ongoing assessment. I recommend assessment and weighting but there should be a separate subject for this.
TP1f: Though it is there in their progress report card, many students do not take very seriously those aspects which do not make any difference to their promotion. If those grades were included towards their promotion then they would really care about their performance in these areas. Although we give a grade, students and parents do not bother about what grade they get in any other areas besides their academic subjects. These days, schools do not admit if a child is getting transferred from their school to another school. The new school is assessing those areas and if the child has not got good marks, they do not accept that child into the school. Because of this, a few parents may be thinking seriously about this issue. We even narrate those examples in the class in order to try to make the children do better in those areas. 
It should be included but it has to be assessed properly. We actually give grades but there are no indicators about whether this should be grade A, this should be grade B. It depends upon the teacher and how they give marks. Some of the teachers may not be marking very seriously. There should be evidence of how the teacher has maintained all the records throughout the year, however, that would be extra work for the teachers. 
TP2m: If possible, it is needed because students will worry about the marks which will affect their overall scores and percentages .Yes, it is needed. 
TP6f: I think in our time we had the value class. For that we had to give grades like A, B, C and then after sometime it vanished. I think it is very important. What we usually do while conducting the social etiquettes on every Wednesday during our time, that time if we were absent then they would give us low grading. That time the children had to go to the class on etiquette without fail.  I think such practices are needed here because our children liked this value class. If there was weighting I think students will practice the GNH values more.  
TP5m: There should be but it is not possible because there is the prescribed syllabus. It is not necessary, but sometimes it is important to have assessment on GNH values. If we force someone to have that value, the value would not be there on their own. By giving examples, doing it by yourself (role modeling) and as a whole, the school should work together. Whole schools should be engaged in the role modeling of GNH values to kids. A single teacher, who is a role model, cannot bring about a change in students. If we force students to learn values, they might take it in front of us, but they may not practice behind our backs. We remind our classes and then we practice it by self embodying the values. In the present system, we do not assess them so we can just remind them and repeat it when students do not practice the values. We are helpless owing to the present scenario/situation. We only can remind them to follow the GNH values and practice them. The students’ character certificates, which are used to assess the students’ behaviour and characters, work to some extent for the students in the MSS and HSS but here in LSS, the character certificate doesn’t make any difference to them. 

TP3m: I think they will because sometimes I feel that students are only learning in order to achieve marks. Yea, it may help them to learn values more.
TP4f: As I pointed out how authentic would that be if they knew that they would be assessed. I do not know how you would measure something like that. We could, but at the same time if we are retaining kids because of the character, then they should be given the second chance also to improve. We do not necessarily use character certificates and EBA for promotion purposes. If students’ marks are hanging (fail by some margins), based on their character we promote them. There would be some recommendations from many teachers but we do not keep them behind because of the bad character. 
TP8f: I think they will practice more if there is a weighting system like there is in other subjects for promotion purposes. In our system students do learn only when there is assessment and exams. In our school it is inclusive because of the special students. Our able students take care of our special students, indicating that they show empathy without the assessment. I saw children helping each other in this school. They do not mock the children with special needs. Without assessment we can see some good bahaviour among some students but in some we do not see any values being displayed. If there was assessment it would be good enough to help students learn the GNH values.
TP7m: We hope so. If students do not study for their future, at least students study for examination purposes. That is why the class test and Monday test have become very important activities in the school because at least we have that set of mentality in our students that, Oh now there is exam tomorrow. Unless we have such an assessment system there is also a probability that students may not study. That is why I think, the examination system still exists everywhere in the world. Where there are no examinations, we do not know whether students will study at all. 
TP10m: Of course, definitely students will learn more if we put their assessed record in their progress report card. It will also become meaningful and it can also be properly implemented. In addition, the GNH values have to be infused in all the subjects, in every aspect, in everything the students do because GNH values are everywhere. But some kind of assessment is needed. Of course when there is assessment, there should also be awards and reinforcement otherwise they again may not do it. 
TP9f: Yea students may take it more seriously if we have their behaviour and attitude assessed and record it for awards or promotion to the next grade.
TP11m: Not necessarily, but if we assess them, they will be a little bit mindful. They will pretend to be but as I said nurture and nature counts a lot. How you are brought up, how your parents are, teachers also play a role, parents also plays important roles and if we want to assess this, they might pretend. Yes, discipline wise they will always focus on marks. If I don’t behave well there is mark and I will get a low one. If they want more marks they will behave well and help in disciplining other children. This is also other ways of disciplining the students but assessment I believe should be there. 
TP12f: I think students will be mindful about their character, thoughts and action if there is assessment.
TP1f: When I was writing this thesis, it was written in the year 2012, when GNH practices were newly born and I could feel during that time most of the schools were practicing the GNH very seriously. Wherever I went there were many activities besides academic, there were other activities, which promoted GNH values. This was done in Samtse Dzongkhag (district), southern Dzongkhag, which is quite remote place, there teachers were doing very seriously and it was very effective. My finding was that most of the schools were incorporating, those schools wherever I went and it was very successful and many teachers and almost all the students were very happy about GNH education. I looked at GNH education as a whole. I just would like to say that practicing GNH values is very important and I have seen it making even the teachers changing the whole the concept we have before and the concept that we have now about how to deal with students and as a teacher how should we have relationship with community . All this have changed because of implementing GNH values. In the past when we were students we never felt that teachers really were that caring but now today we can see that the way teachers think is very different. For example, if it is very sunny, we would not recommend students to stay in the sun but it used to be there in the past. Now we have become very considerate towards the students but I can see that the way we teachers implement GNH is fading away, may be because there is no monitoring or no motivation from the administration or from the concerned agencies like REC, EMSD and MOE. In the past when I was doing this research our Minister of education was very motivating. I have heard his speech (Lyonpo Thakur Singh Powdel’s speech). Whatever he said, he used to talk about gear toward GNH and his speeches used to be very motivating and we felt like carrying out more activities after listening to him. With change of leadership, the practice is also diminishing. It would be better if there is a particular GNH teacher in each school and a curriculum for GNH or if we had to integrated GNH values through the lessons daily there should be certain provision which states this value is going to be taught in this lessons, which clearly spells in the lessons. We can have what we have now and values can be engrained in the teaching as we have now but if there is another teacher who could teach only GNH values separately that would add to whatever we have in the curriculum. 

TP5m: Yes but some simple values as per their age and class level. Sometime even there is difference between the responses of two PP students, one saying, yes and other saying, yes please. Why is there difference in their responses? So we should teach values from the very young age. 
TP7m: All in all, when we say GNH, it is such a philosophy that we are trying to teach and that we are trying to instill and infuse in the minds of the students. As long as we try to teach some good values, people now use this term GNH into wrong sense also, every little thing we try to talk about the people are trying to link to GNH, I think it is not very good sign. We have to try and understand this word GNH in a very positive way. Nothing like drinking in a bar gives you GNH. I think GNH has to teach the value of happiness that is ever lasting that will last forever. Drinking gives you pleasure only when you drink and it does not last. It is very short term pleasure. But when we are trying to teach GNH we are talking such values which will provide happiness that will last forever. It is applicable to others, not when you drink. When you drink you enjoy only, not others. When we are thinking of sharing, helping and doing good for the society and when you see somebody becoming happy because of you, you cannot help yourself becoming happy. People miss this particular trick. All in all, we must work towards giving happiness to people. Education as a whole must work towards creating that environment, which makes a person enjoy the happiness in rest of the life. Just getting the job will not give happiness. When we talk about happiness, there are small bit and pieces to be taken care everywhere. And these things are not learned in the subjects and chapters. These things are to be learned within ourselves. It is good that our fourth King propounded this philosophy called the GNH is more important than GDP. We might talk about the richest person in the world but we can’t guarantee if he is completely a happy person. Unless he learns to share his wealth, he will not get happiness. You talk about Bill Gates, what is he going to do with his wealth? Just by sharing in return he gets happiness. There has to be little bit of learning but more of in-built. To be a good person is more of in-built than learned. I don’t know if a short tempered person can be taught how not to be a short tempered but it is within blood. All in all, I see a good person is more in-built than you learned to be. That’s why the role model comes. Why do so many people getting inspired by Gandhiji. Lord Buddha himself existed himself 2500 years ago and we have not even seen him yet his teachings are flourishing in this modern day world. Given the chance we would like to be him and we would like to think like him, do like him because only way the people make you remember is by winning the hearts of the people. These people have won.