The Transition from School in Bhutan

Abstract

In Bhutan half of the population is under the age of 25 (United Nations 2017) and strengthening the pathways of all young people, regardless of their background, is one of the priorities in the Bhutan Education Blueprint 2014-2024. This study examines the transitions from school of a sample of 895 young school completers from Western Bhutan in 2013. It considers the impact of gender, socio-economic status (SES), school type and subject stream on their destinations. The study revealed that males, public school students and higher SES students were more likely to enter university and government vocational training institutes, while girls, private school completers and lower SES students were more likely to enter private vocational training institutions, repeat Year 12, work or enter the labour market. The study provides invaluable findings about the post-school choices of young Bhutanese and their post-school pathways, as well as providing suggestions for policy reform and further research designed to improve the transitions of young people in Bhutan.