Chapter · September 016 doi: 10. 1007/978-981-10-1649-3 10 citations reads 725 authors: Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects

147
sanitation facilities are important for both boys and girls but more particularly for 
girls who menstruate as limited or lack of access to water and toilets is a factor that 
could force girls to perform poorly or drop out of school due to psychological dis-
tress (Unterhalter and Brighouse
2007
). Similar arguments can also be made for the 
physical and emotional distresses students undergo when schools are unable to pro-
vide a healthy and safe environment for learning in Bhutan. In sum, the existence of 
such disparities in the basic conditions for quality education truly questions Bhutan’s 
commitment to quality and equity in education. 
The existing disparities in Bhutan’s educational conditions also highlight dis-
parities in educational achievements in the country. The Bhutan Living Standards 
Survey Report  (NSB
2013a
 ) showed that more than 55 % of the population over six 
years old does not have any formal education. Among those enrolled in school, only 
one in fi ve attended Classes IX-XII and only 1 in 16 advance beyond Class XII
(RGoB
2013
). Another report revealed that the primary school completion rate for 
the poorest quintile in 2012 was 55.5 % while for the richest it was 87.9 % (NSB 
 
2014b
). Similarly, the secondary school completion rate for the same year was 
19.2 % for the poorest quintile while for the richest quintile it was 69.3 %. These 
fi ndings appear to have a direct correlation with statistics related to Bhutan’s unem-
ployed youth. The Unemployed Youth Perception Survey 2014 Report (Khilji, 2014) 
found that approximately 60 % of the unemployed youth who participated in the 
study came from families that earn less than Nu.10,000 [USD $154.00] per month. 
A majority of them, 34.1 %, came from families that earn a monthly income of 
Nu.4000 [USD $61.60] or less. Unemployment is a strong predictor of unhappiness 
(Putnam and Helliwell
2004
 ). Based on the CA, unemployment also indicates fail-
ure of the education system since individuals are not provided the right conditions 
to achieve functionings that add to the earning potential , economic security, and 
thus their well-being and happiness (Lanzi
2007
; Alexander
2008
 ; Nussbaum
2011
 ). 
In order to contribute positively to the overall state of GNH in Bhutan, the EGNH 
initiative must ensure that all students have the freedom to be empowered equally 
through the education system, regardless of their socio-economic background, to 
secure all their personal, professional, social, and political needs so that their choices 
add to their well-being and happiness. 
Furthermore, the CA also contends that inequality in the education system points 
to larger economic, social, and political inequalities in the society. Poverty reports 
on Bhutan describe fi ndings that are consistent with this association. The Poverty 
Analysis Report 
 (NSB
2013b
) shows that the Gini index at the national level 
remained relatively equal from 2007 to 2012, at 0.35 and 0.36, respectively. 
However, closer analysis of the index for the same years for rural and urban regions 
suggests rising inequality; the index increased from 0.32 to 0.35 in urban areas and 
from 0.32 to 0.34 in rural areas. This presents a serious challenge for the EGNH 
initiative and the overall development of the country since studies have shown that 
inequality has a negative effect on the level of happiness. This was found to be true 
for countries in Latin America (Graham and Felton
2006
), Japan (Oshio and 
Kobayashi
2010
 ), and the U.S. (Oishi et al.
2011
). As a national framework for 
education, which has direct implications for social, economic, and political change, 
Conditions of Happiness: Bhutan’s Educating for Gross National Happiness…
mattschuelka@gmail.com

148
the EGNH initiative must make it a priority to promote conditions that lead to equal-
ity and well-being through the education system. 
The current status of education in Bhutan makes it distinctly clear that the cur-
rent approach of implementing the EGNH initiative through the transmission of 
GNH values and principles alone is inadequate to ensure the success of GNH in 
Bhutan. Overall, the current educational status not only questions Bhutan’s commit-
ment to education but also, based on the CA, presents a serious challenge for the 
EGNH initiative in Bhutan. Given the stark realities, the EGNH framework, in addi-
tion to the infusion of GNH values and principles through curriculum and peda-
gogy , should also emphasize the promotion of right conditions for the enhancement 
of capabilities (freedom) and functionings of individuals to choose a life that con-
tributes to their well-being and happiness. This requires a consideration of the CA 
perspective to address conditions that increase educational quality and equity in 
Bhutan by removing existing inadequacies and disparities in the system. More spe-
cifi cally, this means that the EGNH initiative needs to develop a comprehensive 
framework that not only addresses school curriculum and pedagogy but also other 
important aspects of education, such as the freedom to access all levels of education 
regardless of ability, socio-economic background, or gender and the freedom to 
learn in a supportive and enriching environment – i.e., enforcement of the school 
discipline policy to ban the use of harmful practices such as corporal punishment , 
safe and healthy schools, proper and adequate furniture for classrooms . 
The purpose of the EGNH initiative, as an operational framework of the develop-
mental philosophy of GNH, is to ensure that the education system contributes to the 
overall development and well-being of individuals in the country. The CA comple-
ments this purpose for the EGNH initiative in Bhutan by providing a conceptual 
framework that emphasizes the promotion of the right conditions for enriched learn-
ing and empowerment . Based on the CA, Bhutan, as a nation-state emphasizing 
GNH as an educational goal, needs to create within the education system the condi-
tions necessary to provide every individual the freedom to develop to the best of his 
or her capabilities as emphasized in the CA. Such an approach could better guide 
the EGNH initiative to highlight enhancement of capabilities and freedom as a pri-
mary goal of the EGNH initiative so that individuals are empowered through the 
education system to choose a life that leads to well-being and happiness as part of 
the GNH goal.

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