TO ROUSE THE LIMITS OF CHANGE- A CLOSING SPEECH AT 'RIGSS' FOR SLDP-4

30th August 2021

Delivered by: Principal Dechentsemo Central School, Punakha

Dashos, RIGSS faculty, senior principals and mates,

It is my assumption which will be painful to hear, but I have begun to believe that the long cry on declining quality of education and the denial by education fraternity for a long time has been wrong. It has also been wrong perhaps, to defend we were doing enough in our schools when today we realise how much we could have done and how far behind we are even in our leadership and knowledge. Experiences have rather limited us from leading the way children need to be learn by.

It is embarrassing to me at least, that His Majesty the King has to pronounce for education reform. I take it as a caution upon myself, that it is a decree for me to transform myself first before reform can take place in the school. It is even more embarrassing that His Majesty the King has reminded several times, the need to have ‘Just and harmonious’ society, yet we believed we were doing well. It was in fact a higher call for change in how we serve the nation we promised to serve when we began our career.

We may be expressing our opinions like we are experts at leadership, but we may have been principals to whose office teacher do not feel like home to enter. We may have been a teacher, deluded to believe that we are the best, when the best service has not contributed to fulfil the vision of our schools!

Further, how many times His Majesty has displayed moments of transcendental examples and sacrifices to awaken our consciousness, but we remained unchanged, refusing to be inspired to perform. If our beloved king walking the plains and hills, the valleys and towns in summer heat and monsoon rain, do not shatter our arrogance, what will make us study and work better than what we do? If our king serving his lunch under a shed in the southern forest and scaling mountain trail, trekking peaks and navigating leech infested jungles, does not rouse us from idleness, what will make us guilty enough to rise and serve better? How many sublime quotes of our kings will we frame on walls and quote in our speeches but never change in what we are and how we do for the nation we serve?

After two weeks of extensive engagement at RIGSS, I still feel very far behind the vision of my king. I think I must make greater difference in the lives of those I touch in the school by reforming myself first; in behaviour and personality, in knowledge and skill, in leadership and humanity. Are you going to change, really? If neither Arun Kapur’s talk on purpose of education nor Dasho Chewang’s words on professionalism effect change our leadership, if neither Dasho Karma Galey’s evidences nor Dasho Tashi Wangyel’s statistics make us guilty, if neither Angela Chueng’s inspiration nor Dasho Karma Tshiteem’s roadmap become our skill, if neither Ujjwal’s nor Joels session ignite passion to change way each of us lead and bring significant performance outcome in three to five years, we have not only wasted national resources and hard work RIGSS put in but also failed the trust His Majesty and the nation places on us. After today, there cannot be a new beginning for our schools if what is learnt does not propel us to study and practice. What more do we need better than to begin from ourselves first?

In fact, that His Majesty the King has to envision the significance of providing RIGSS training platform to school leaders to learn and transform is the key to nation’s sovereignty and harmony. This platform at RIGSS is a privilege many civil servants aspire to be alumnus of, and we, the principals, have been honoured this as part of reform initiative without any selection processes.

Do we only boast of our ages and experience and talk of limitations? This SLDP opportunity makes us obliged to reflect and revisit our strengths and services towards enhancing quality leadership and performance. It is not enough, and never too late, to redesign our leadership, direct our direction and emulate virtues of a SMART Bhutanese to educate children to become capable leaders. I have no doubt; our nation will fail if each of us does not grow. It will have to begin by a book we read, reflection we make, a speech we give, an activity we plan, and from attitude we begin to change.

We have come a long way in education history, and it is imperative we must question how well we have progressed to live the 21^st century with pride. History tells us that modern education began in 1913 with the first school begun at Gongzim Ugyen Dorji School in Haa and another in Bumthang in 1914. It is today 108 years since the inception of modern education. We have come from 46 students to 16,800 students today. We pay tribute to the peerless leadership of our hereditary Kings for their wisdom and foresignt to have given priority with free educayion for sao many years.

The future of the nation, of 1,16,800 students, is in the hands of over 500 principals. Today, with the Royal Kasho as a beacon of hope and direction, the history of education system embarks upon a major reform, and each of us are critical asset in this venture. The national policies and governing norms will have little to serve the purpose if school leaders fail to function vibrantly with ethos parallel to visions enshrined within the Royal Kasho. And this begins from asking ourselves, who we are, what we are and why we are here today.

The two weeks of experiences at RIGSS have been a realisation that struck us with sense of guilt and apprehension; guilt upon realising that there are better and greater ways of leading and apprehension upon realising the weight of challenges and responsibilities we have from every small things we do, from a every word we speak, each thought we consider and each dream we create. From the moment we walked into the PDC Center on 15^th August 2021, when we met Madam Sigay Dem and her team, we began to learn lessons of leadership, from the heart warming smile to graceful welcome, from the flawless readiness to fluid services, from consistency of energy to coherence among the 7 member team.

When Director RIGSS, Dasho Chewang Rinzin took us through more than two hours of Induction and Introduction session, we learnt how we can change ourselves, our mindset and behaviour as a leader. We are told that from the bed we make to the coffee cup we drop into the bowl, we learn leadership. I have seen RIGSS management as an exemplary spectacle since 2014 when I was at Phuentsholing, and Dasho Chewang Rinzin had always been an inspiration I discreetly learnt from.

It has been an incredible journey at Tsirang. The programme sessions tested and teased our learning, deepened and widened our horizon, brought painful realisation and poignant awakening. When session stretched into the night, it challenged the limits of our tolerance and possibilities of learning there is beyond the conventional hours. I heard from my friends that, not even during their 2 years’ university studies did they learn something like the sessions here.

In our decades of career life, we have touched thousands of children, and this time we hope to touch them differently. On this note, on everybody’s behalf, I offer our humble gratitude to His Majesty the King- Kadrinchoe Miwang Chog, to the Ministry of Education fraternity, to Director and the warrior women at RIGSS management, the luminaries who enlightened us from abroad and within, and to Honourable Chief Guest Dasho Karma Tshiteem.

And I wish to thank our cooks and everyone behind the blankets who made our residential stay like second home. Finally, I thank you dear colleagues for your support in my captain’s role here. I hope I have given you reason to practice leadership virtues through my small flaws.

Henry Wadsworth, an American poet and educator once said,

 "The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight; but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

Today, as we complete the training, each of us promise to work and serve better than ever before.                                                                                                                                                         

Thank you.