2023 Teacher’s Day Celebration at the College
In Bhutan, Teachers’ Day is celebrated on 2nd May coinciding with the birth anniversary of Late His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who is revered as the Father of Modern Bhutan. On this day, Samtse College of Education celebrated Teacher’s Day with great enthusiasm and fervor not only to celebrate the Teacher’s Day but also to pay respect and gratitude to the mammoth contributions made by our Beloved Third Druk Gyalpo. The event commenced with an offering of a butter lamp in tribute and respects to the Third Druk Gyalpo for his sacrifices in ushering Bhutan towards modernisation. The singing of the national anthem and traditional Marchang ceremony added an essence of Bhutanese cultural values to the celebration. The ceremony was a reflection of the country’s rich tradition and as well as a day to acknowledge and recognise the contributions teachers make to nation building.
The College President in his address as the Guest of Honour for the occasion highlighted the significance of the day and asserted that the Third Druk Gyalpo gave the true real push and impetus in developing modern education system in the country, and is most befitting to celebrate His Majesty’s Birth Anniversary as Teacher’s Day in Bhutan. The President shared with fondness that had His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo lived long enough to witness the result and fruition of His noble deeds, He would have been 94 years young today. The College President called the gathering to rise up and observe a minute of silence to pay our undying gratitude and tribute to His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo and also to the teachers of our past, present and future.
The Guest of Honour while acknowledging the critical role teachers play in nation building and appreciating the selfless services of the teachers in shaping the future generations of the country, he alerted and cautioned the gathering that the knowledge and skills that have served us well in the past is no longer good enough to serve the needs of the 21st century. He also reminded that the Education Reform, which is happening now in response to the Royal Kasho of the Fifth Druk Gyalpo is a precious opportunity to soak and immerse ourselves fully to be part of this reform process by doing our best in doing our own part well. The Guest of Honour made a clarion call to the teachers in the making and the teacher educators of the College to board on to the Change Bandwagon that bears His Majesty’s vision of building a world-class education. The students and lecturers were reinforced to be ambitious, courageous, bold, determined, focused, disciplined, purpose-driven, resourceful, tactful, gritty, resilient, smart, intelligent, and astute to be an excellent teacher to breed creative and innovative educational practices as their trademark. He urged the gathering to change their current mindsets and shift their gears of teaching to be able to identify their USP (Unique Selling Point) to unleash their best versions and thus become Alpha Teachers, Alpha Counsellors, or Alpha Social Workers, Alpha Bhutanese citizens, Alpha Humans – alpha in a positive sense of being dominant in knowledge and educational practices and contributions to the country’s education system.
To become Alpha Teachers, the Guest of Honour asked the gathering to “Let the tentacles of your mind grow far and wide to gather knowledge and learning; let your mind be open and receptive to the ocean and universe of knowledge and learning that waits to be explored and put into use; let your hunger for knowledge give you sufficient energy to hunt for new knowledge and learning” so that they (teachers and teacher educators) are not ignorant professionals but become true “Lopens” – King of Knowledge and Wisdom.
The event was further enlivened by the captivating cultural performances presented by the students. The performances were a blend of traditional and modern dance forms that show cased the diversity and richness of Bhutanese culture.
The 2023 Teacher’s Day at Samtse College of Education concluded with a sumptuous lunch offered in the College mess. The lunch was an opportunity for the students to interact and connect with their teachers, creating a sense of belongingness and gratitude towards them. Ms. Sangay, an in-service school teacher pursuing Master of Education (MEd) at the College affirmed that the celebration of Teacher’s Day was a testament to the crucial role played by His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo and the teachers in educating and shaping the future of the nation. The well-organized reception, cultural performances, and interactive lunch made the day memorable for all.
