The Teacher Apprenticeship Program in Bhutan: An Evaluation

Abstract

The Teacher Apprenticeship Program was introduced in 2000 to meet a severe shortage of teachers in Bhutan and to relieve pressure on the teacher education institutes as they extended the period of pre-service training. This study focused on the effectiveness of the program and employed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires in order to capture the experiences and problems of the apprentice teachers. The study found that teacher apprentices reported remarkable experiences that contributed to a sound foundation for becoming competent and dedicated teachers. Several changes were recommended to recruitment criteria, school placements, the induction program, apprenticeship guidelines and mentoring. The research also discovered that the stakeholders needed to have a common vision about the program in order to establish a more collaborative atmosphere.