Some 25 participants, including parliamentarians, civil servants, and leaders of non-governmental organisations and civil society, are taking part in the third Certificate Course on Social Policy.
The ten-day strategic capacity development programme began today at the Samtse College of Education. It aims to equip participants with a range of analytical, management and problem solving skills on policy formulation, enactment and effective implementation that is in the best interests of children, women and the most vulnerable.
The course is also aimed at understanding the emerging gap between policy making and implementation. The Certificate Course on Social Policy was initiated in 2015 by Sherubtse College and the Institute for GNH Studies of the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) in collaboration with UNICEF.
The first programme was held at Sherubtse College in January last year and the second cohort was hosted by the College of Natural Resources (CNR) in Lobesa in December last year.
At the opening of the third session today, the Vice Chancellor of RUB and the UNICEF Bhutan Deputy Representative described the third programme as a validation of “a successful collaboration”.
From this year, the Social Policy Certificate Course has been institutionalized and integrated in RUB’s regular course. The Royal Civil Service Commission has endorsed the curriculum and committed to integrate the training in their plan.
“Sound social policies are instrumental as Bhutan graduates to middle income country status,” said RUB’s Vice Chancellor Nidup Dorji. “Investments in social sectors should focus on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.”
UNICEF Bhutan’s Deputy Representative, Beate Dastel, said the institutionalization of the Certificate Course on Social Policy is definitely a step forward in unwrapping development challenges and designing, through transformative leadership at all levels, evidence-based policy making for positive change.
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