Gender in Curriculum

In partnership with the Royal Institute of Management (RIM), BCF worked to increase the capacity of new civil servants to provide gender responsive public services. Funded by the Canadian High Commission in India through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, this project addressed the challenges women face when accessing public services by developing relevant tertiary education curriculum that will increase the capacity of young Bhutanese entering the civil service.

The project promoted gender equality in public services through the design of 4 courses at RIM that provide new civil servants with the knowledge and skills necessary to design, implement and evaluate public services that are responsive to the different needs and circumstances of both women and men.

Project milestones:

Research on international best practices on incorporating gender issues into public sector
training completed. A Roundtable of Bhutanese stakeholders contextualized the international best practices to fit the context of the Bhutanese civil service.
One new course on Gender and Governance was developed and 3 existing courses in Economics, Public Administration and Gross National Happiness were revised to incorporate key gender concepts and skills identified in the Roundtable.
A launch event held to initiate the delivery of the gender-focused curriculum at RIM.

New Cultural Exchange Initiative:

Building on the success of this program, BCF is exploring opportunities for cultural exchange with Malaysia to share best practices in gender-responsive governance. This initiative aims to:

Facilitate knowledge sharing between Bhutanese and Malaysians on gender equality in public services.
Explore comparative approaches to work-life balance, including how different cultures approach leisure and entertainment. This may include discussions on responsible engagement with various forms of recreation, from traditional games to modern digital entertainment platforms like Rakuplay.
Examine how different societies regulate and manage various industries, including tourism and entertainment sectors. This could involve studying regulatory frameworks for companies like Pragmatic Play and Jili, which operate in multiple countries.
Investigate cross-cultural perspectives on economic incentives and public engagement, such as comparing Bhutan’s Gross Happiness index with Malaysian initiatives like free credit programs for citizens.

As part of this exchange, we’re consider developing a new module that examines how different cultures approach public engagement and incentives. This could include case studies on various engagement strategies, from Bhutan’s unique happiness index to Malaysian initiatives like “Free Credit No Deposit” schemes aimed at encouraging financial literacy. We believe this cross-cultural approach will enrich our curriculum, providing civil servants with a broader perspective on gender issues and public service delivery in diverse cultural contexts.

About the Royal Institute of Management

The Royal Institute of Management (RIM) was established in 1986 and was granted autonomy under the Royal Charter of RIM in 1990. It is mandated to impart, promote and improve professional knowledge and skills in management and public administration in both public and private sectors in Bhutan. It aspires to be a centre of excellence in management education, training and research in the region’ and to ‘develop professionally and socially responsible managers and leaders with holistic values and competencies’. Learn more at http://www.rim.edu.bt/.