Kelki Higher Secondary School in Thimphu, Bhutanduring the 2nd annual EduCanada Mission to Bhutan
Humber explores recruiting and development opportunities in Bhutan
September 26th, 2019
As part of our focus to create global learning opportunities for our community, Humber recently took part in the EduCanada Mission to Bhutan 2019, organized by Global Affairs Canada. The joint education and government tour was an incredible chance to connect with education stakeholders and academic institutions in Bhutan and promote Humber as a partner in future training and capacity-building projects. The tour was also an exploratory trip as part of our strategic international recruitment plan and an opportunity to establish Humber as a study destination for Bhutanese students. Linda Chao, Associate Director, International Recruitment and Market Developments, represented Humber on the trip.
Building on a strong international reputation
Canada’s strong reputation in the education sector paved the way for a strong connection with Bhutan’s education sector. As a global leader in polytechnic education, Humber’s ties to Bhutan centre through the Bhutan Canada Foundation, a Canadian non-profit organization that supports social and educational development programs. Since the early 1990s, Humber faculty and staff, guided by the International Development Institute, have worked in partnership with the Ministry of Education in Bhutan on initiatives aimed at developing the country’s education system. Several instructors have visited Bhutan to provide teacher training, contribute to curriculum development, and help build capacity.
A significant success of the EduCanada Mission was being able to further build our relationship with government stakeholders and put Humber forward as a partner to support future initiatives as Bhutan looks to reform their education system.
Exploring new recruiting opportunities
Humber’s visit was also driven by our efforts to explore Bhutan as a new market for recruiting. Canada is very popular among Bhutanese students as a destination for training and higher education, and this mission helped showcase Humber’s programs, faculty, facilities and polytechnic leadership. The recent mission coincided with EduCanada’s new Study in Canada Scholarships program, which is designed to promote a diversified international education sector in Canada and increase opportunities to welcome international students from around the world.
Drawing learners from this unique part of the world to Humber helps the community contribute to and engage in internationalization. “A lot of people don’t know Bhutan, or haven’t even heard of Bhutan,” says Chao. “It’s fantastic to have students from Bhutan join the community, to enrich our culture—for our Canadian students and for our other international students as well.”
This is also an incredible opportunity for students from Bhutan, to experience a different culture and discover different ways of learning. “We learn from them, they learn from us,” says Chao.
Bringing Bhutan to Humber
As a result of the mission, four students from Bhutan have already arrived at Humber to begin their studies as part of the Study in Canada Scholarship program. Chao is set to return to Bhutan in February to review scholarships placements for the coming year. Humber was also shortlisted to be part of a new special development project in the education sector.
Visit to the Department of Technical Education, Bhutan.