SAMTSE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION : SOME GLIMPSES INTO ITS CHRONICLE Introduction
Samtse College of Education (SCE) was founded as the first teacher-training institute (TTI) in the country of Bhutan in 1968. Our beloved late king, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck inaugurated the college on 29th May 1968 with an initial enrolment of 41 students. This historic milestone in the country’s education history is observed as the College Foundation day every year. Samtse College of Education is one of the premier institutions of learning in the country, which provides training to Primary and Secondary teachers. It is also the center for a number of in-service programmes conducted during winter breaks. With the introduction of the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) Secondary programme in 1983, the erstwhile TTI was renamed the National Institute of Education (NIE). After becoming a member college of the Royal University of Bhutan on June 2nd 2003, the NIE was once more renamed Samtse College of Education.

Location:
Spread over a total campus area of 25.72 acres, the SCE is located on a thickly wooded grassy slope, from whose many vantage points one can take contemplative views of the mighty Indian plains. The campus, located at a convenient distance to the east of the small Samtse town, has the reputation of being aesthetically and intellectually congenial to academic learning and wholesome growth. Although geographically inconspicuous, SCE can now communicate globally, thanks to the Internet.
The Institute was headed, in its humble beginnings, by Mr. M.K. Modak, a Bengali gentleman, as the first Principal but for less than a year. Then Mr. K.R. Shivadasa, an Indian teacher from Kerala, already working in Bhutan as an Inspector of Schools, then became the second Principal till August 1970. Soon, Mr. S.T. Dutt, an English teacher from the Mayo College of Ajmer succeeded Mr. Dutt as the next Principal for about a year. Mr. B.S. Sharma was the fourth head of the Institute as an Acting Principal. Mr. S. K. Basu Mallick then took over as the fifth Principal till the end of 1976. Ms. C. K. Gurung’s taking over of the Institute as its sixth and the first National Principal could be regarded as a milestone in the annals of the Instirtute till her retirement in 1992. With the upgradation of the TTI to the NIE in 1983, Dasho Pema Thinley (present Vice-Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan) was appointed the first Director for the later half of 1984. He handed over the charge to Dr. Jagar Dorji in mid-1993. Not before long, Mr. Dorjee Tshering (present Director of the National Library, Thimphu) took over as the Director in August 1996. The present Director, Mr. Kaylzang Tshering took over the charges of the College in 2008.