24th April 2018, Gasa:
Sherig Lyonpo Norbu Wangchuck was on two days visit to Gasa during which he met with the teachers of Gasa Primary School and students and teachers of Bjishong Central School.

The following is an attempt to summarize the key messages from his talk to the teachers and students.

To students:
It is natural to desire for every student to be good students excelling in studies and to be successful in life, making teachers, parents, country and His Majesty proud and happy. Unfortunately, some students land up treading the wrong path and cause themselves and their loved ones lots of pain and trouble, some irreparable. 
According to Lyonpo, the cause for such mishaps is basically biological in nature, triggered by the part of the brain called “amygdala” that controls emotions. In children, this part of the brain is active, while the “prefrontal cortex”, the part of the brain that rationalizes is still not fully developed. Therefore, the children after knowing this fact, are encouraged to be extra conscious of this notorious “amygdala” and try to develop the “pre fungal cortex” by adopting and practicing the 3 Rs, viz:

Responsible, Respectful, and Resilient in their everyday life.

To Teachers:
Lyonpo talk was titled “Education for different future” with the key message that education system/policy needs to be innovative and adaptive to face the emerging needs of the unprecedented changes that we face every day. We have no choice but to embrace the changes. Change is being enforced upon us every day; therefore we have to change our ways to survive the future successfully.
In fact, this vision is succinctly reflected in His Majesty’s visionary words, “Our education has served us well. But we must understand that times have changed here in Bhutan and all around us in the world. We cannot face new challenges with the same tools.” 
So, we have to adapt our education system to make it relevant and useful for better tomorrow. Lyonpo highlighted 3 interrelated parameters that have to be considered in the planning and practicing Education for Different Future, viz: i) Being Bhutanese ii) Critical Thinking iii) Emotional Wellbeing.

(Disclaimer: any misinterpretations is unintentional and Gasa Dzongda will be accountable)