๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐: ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
An international seminar held at Ananda Chandra Training College in Churai, India on 20-21 March, 2025, marked a significant step toward reimagining societal structures beyond traditional gender binaries. The two-day event, titled “The Possibility of a Genderless Society: Reimagining the Future,” brought together experts from across the globe, with the delegation from Bhutanโs Samtse College of Education (SCE) playing a pivotal role in shaping the discourse.
SCEโs leadership team, including President Dr. Sonam Rinchen, Dean of Research and Industrial Linkages Dr. Kinley Seden, and Dean of Academic Affairs Mr. Kuenzang Gyeltsen, were specially invited to attend and contribute to the seminar. Their presentations, based on ongoing research initiatives at SCE, provided valuable insights into global discussions on gender inclusivity and education reform.
Dr. Rinchenโs plenary address set the stage for the event, challenging conventional gender paradigms and highlighting the importance of evolving educational systems to align with the global movement toward gender neutrality. โCan you imagine a future where we are known not by gender, but by what we truly are? A genderless society means we judge people by their talents, value, and kindness, and not by whether they are male or female.,โ Dr. Rinchen emphasized.
Dr. Seden shared findings from SCE’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Project, which highlighted a disconnect between students’ high regard for interpersonal qualities such as “Love and Care” and their limited understanding of gender equality concepts. The GESI diagnostic tools, developed through the situational analysis, will be used in the schools in March to collect further data on what Bhutanese students value and aspire to be.
Dr. Kunzang Gyeltshen, DAA, shared insights from the study, which is part of a regional project implemented across Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Vietnam, focusing on the impact of gender and inclusive pedagogy on student participation and learning achievement. The findings revealed slight improvements in infrastructure, ICT facilities, and student participation, though the full implementation of gender-inclusive pedagogy faced challenges due to pandemic-related restrictions. One of the significant outcomes of the study was that while there were some positive changes in classroom participation and the use of ICT, teachers’ gender sensitivity remained low. However, the introduction of gender-inclusive pedagogy led to more active participation from girls, underscoring the potential benefits of such approaches.
This event underscored Samtse College of Education’s continued efforts to be a leading institution for research and innovation in education, both regionally and nationally, driving progress and shaping the future of inclusive, transformative educational practices. Their active participation in the seminar not only showcased the college’s leadership in this critical area but also reaffirmed its dedication to shaping a future where education transcends traditional boundaries, fostering a more equitable and progressive society.
