Dear yeshey1
I am sorry I am a bit late in putting my opinions across, the reason being that I do not have a reliable internet connection in my present institute. I also felt that I was more of an observer since I do not fall into either of the two categories; namely Bhutanese students in Canada and grumpy frustrated Bhutanese in Bhutan. I am however reluctantly joining this forum because I am close friends of with many of the Bhutanese students in Canada. I have personally known them for many years and I know what they went through to get where they are, I have seen them bravely facing the hardships of living in a distant land, being away from home, loved ones and I have also shared the sheer happiness of succeeding and achieving their goals. Therefore, I find it rather repugnant when someone tries to discredit them for all their hard work and perseverance.
I think, it was a serious blunder on your part to put out a list of Bhutanese students, with names, degrees and college names on a public forum. Such things are not done, in my view. And it was an even bigger blunder to falsely claim that they got their education through family ties and corruption! Making such a sweeping statement, without being able to substantiate through facts and figures, would only invite trouble for yourself.
Dradul Wangchuk I am naming him openly only because he is a close friend and because he has commented on this forum using his real name, unlike you, as far as I can remember, has been a class topper since he was in kindergarten. I urge you to get a copy of a kuensel paper that came out in 1995 (there was no internet back then, so I think you’ll have to dig up the kuensel archives…I am sure you will have ample time for this as you seem to like to dig up facts on other people…you had the time to look up “deki phunstho” on google…that says a lot) but if you do find the copy you can read about how a young Dradul Wangchuk topped the whole of Bhutan in the class 6 common exams, the journalist writes about how “he needs help from his mother in wearing his gho every morning” and “how he is a keen member of the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck Library”. Dradul has topped every class he was in, and was even a topper in UNB computer science program.
With your shocking comments you are saying that people (like Dradul) who have worked so hard and achieved so much in their life, did so not by merit but by family connection and a corrupt government. Are you stating that Dradul topped his class PP exams and topped his country in the common exams because of family connections? I highly doubt any family would have that much of an influence over our education system.
From my personal experience, as a student in the USA for four years, I know exactly what Bhutanese students studying in Canada go through. I had many odd jobs over my 4 years in college, including washing everyone’s dirty dishes and taking the 6 AM shift as the telephone receptionist, to have enough pocket money to live there. When your family earns in Rupees it’s very hard to pay college fees in Dollars. My parents worked their hearts out to pay for my education, and I am extremely grateful to them…..and I know for a fact that ….that was the same case with many of the Bhutanese students in Canada. When someone goes through hardships like that, they really tend to appreciate what they have achieved. It saddens me to know, that rather than, trying to emulate the good examples set by our illustrious students, and looking up to such students as role models for our future generation ....you choose to paint them in such wretched hue.
It also extremely hurts when a misinformed individual goes to a public forum and claims that they did not work hard, they family did not suffer and what they have done there is only because of family connections. I feel such malicious and spurious comments are absolutely, uncalled for. It hurts a lot yeshey1, please put yourself in their shoes and think about it.I think your comments not only hurt the private funded students in Canada but also those who are truly on government scholarships. There are some students in Canada who are from influential families but who were nominated by the RCSC. But most of the recipients are from very humble families, and some are even from far flung corners of Bhutan who never studied in Thimphu. These students worked hard to get the RCSC aid, but now you go on a public forum and say that they all got it through corruption. Imagine how they must feel.
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