Educating for GNH:

GNH ORIGIN
Gross National Happiness, as the guiding philosophy of Bhutans development process, was pronounced by His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, soon after his enthronement in 1972. Over the decades, many conferences and discourses have led to increasing elaboration and development of this concept as well as its practice. Our King was clear that happiness is the ultimate end desired, but not necessarily pursued by every Bhutanese and indeed, every human being. All else for which we labour are but means to fulfilling this wish. Yet it is ironic that human society is pervasively susceptible to confusion between this simple end and the complexity of means. This explains why conventional development or economic growth paradigm is seriously flawed and delusional. It is heartening to observe that toward the end of the last century and at the beginning of this millennium, the reflective and the analytical across all sections of society are seeing the need to search for a clearer purpose and a more rational approach to development. There is a growing level of dissatisfaction with the way in which human society is being propelled without a clear and meaningful direction by the force of its own actions. It is also noteworthy that, there is a general consensus that conventional development process and contemporary way of life are not sustainable. We see GNH as offering a more rational and human approach to development: First, GNH stands for the holistic needs of the human individual - both physical and mental well being. It reasons that while material development measures contribute, undeniably, to enhancing physical well-being, the state of mind which is perhaps, more important than the body, is not conditioned by material circumstances alone. Second, which is a corollary to the first point, is that GNH seeks to promote a conscious, inner search for happiness and requisite skills which must harmonize with beneficial management and development of outer circumstances. Third, GNH recognises that happiness should not be approached or viewed as yet another competitive good to be realised by the individual. It supports the notion that happiness pursued and realised within the context of the greater good of society offers the best possibility for the sustained happiness of the individual. Further, while acknowledging that happiness may not be a directly deliverable good or service, it insists that it is far too important to be left as a purely individual responsibility without the state having a direct role. It may be emphasized that the society as a whole cannot obtain happiness if individuals compete irresponsibly for it, at all cost, in a zero-sum game. It is His Majestys belief that the legitimacy of a government must be established on the basis of its commitment to creating and facilitating the development of those conditions that will make viable the endeavours of citizens in the pursuit of their single most important goal and purpose in life. To this end, GNH stresses collective happiness to be addressed directly through public policies in which happiness becomes an explicit criterion in development projects and programmes. Fourth, as happiness is the most common yearning of the electorate both individually and collectively and as it transcends ideological or contentious values, public policies based on GNH will be far less arbitrary than those based on standard economic tools. Socio-cultural pre-disposition towards GNH Traditional policy in Bhutan, drawing much on the Buddhist culture, was always guided towards GNH. A Buddhist equivalent of a Social Contract declared in Bhutan in 1675 states that happiness of all sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha are mutually dependent. The legal code of 1729 further requires that laws must promote happiness of sentient beings. As it is popularly known, much about what we may call Buddhist science of the mind is about managing feelings and emotions. Thus, a great deal of cultural knowledge and education in traditional society was aimed at conditioning the

mind to give or cause happiness to all beings. Enlightening the inner self or human nature became a far greater task than taming nature and manipulating the world for personal or even national gain. This helps explain why the Bhutanese should, in general, have a pre-disposition towards a more holistic, unconventional approach to development which recognizes happiness as the primary and perhaps, only purpose of development. International Context In general, models for both developed as well as developing countries do not explicitly include happiness as a development end, and contemporary measures of progress do not usually address happiness. It is assumed to be the collateral result of social and economic policies. This is not to suggest that we should reject altogether current approaches and their indices. In fact, the purposes of Human Development, Sustainable Development and Millennium Development Goals are noble and supported by fairly well developed indicators. Likewise, the Genuine Progress Index pioneered here in Nova Scotia is a noteworthy measure of true human advancement. Equally, there are other institutions and individuals, both in North America and Europe, who are doing similar work. However, we should be open to the possibility that varying methodologies and resultant outcomes could be different from the goals of GNH. What GNH calls for is a holistic, comprehensive approach to development. It calls for proactive public policy and programme intervention and commitment of necessary resources. But we could agree that these diverse efforts and coalescence of interests can and must contribute to the promotion of happiness as a serious state responsibility, and that it must not be rejected conveniently as utopian or ideological It is a matter of some satisfaction to note that the media, academia, development experts and social engineers alike have shown growing interest in the subject of happiness in recent years. The desirability and feasibility of happiness as an essential goal and purpose of society have been bolstered by empirical findings of and an upsurge in research. Surely, these are a reflection of the rising popular concerns and interests of society - that society is not content with our unsustainable, unfulfilling and unhappy way of life amid ominous signs of our collective future. This should help engender further understanding, knowledge and wisdom, through such worthy activities as the one in which we are presently engaged. I am certain that public interest and concern in the subject is not a passing trend and that public acceptance of the powerful and compelling reasons will serve to impel deeper research and policy intervention. 1. A good reason to begin with, as corroborated by unquestionable data, is that the manifold rise in real income in several highly industrialized countries over the last 50 years has not led to similar increases in happiness. It is evident that triumphs in the rat race to earn more, have more and consume more do not bring true and lasting happiness. The rich, the powerful and the glamorous, it appears, are often the ones who are more impoverished spiritually and socially and thereby are less happy. While there is certainly considerable room for improvement to what and how we measure both wealth and happiness, the lack of any correlationship between the two, after meeting basic needs, clearly indicates that happiness cannot be found on the unending, rudderless journey powered by mans insatiable greed. 2. This brings me to the second reason - the illusion of market-led happiness. The market demands greater efficiency and higher productivity. It demands ruthless competition, maximization of profit and employs enticement as the means. But these are the very causes that serve to dehumanise society and undermine the factors that create happiness. As has been well documented, demanding and grinding work life that is necessary for efficiency and productivity is difficult to be balanced with leisure and social life that give us satisfaction. Moreover, mobility and job-changes imposed by the market are inconsistent with the vital need for sustained community life just as emotional security is diminished by market economics. And it bears repeating that, edging out the weak, making profit the main motive for industry and capitalizing on the baser instincts of envy and greed are not the ingredients for a harmonious society

3. Related to mobility and locational changes as dictated by our professional lives is our attempt, at the same time, to stay connected through better virtual and real communication. Yet the third concern springs from the reality that people are living ever more apart despite being ever so connected. We only have to remind ourselves of the near complete disintegration of the extended family structure or network in the urban and industrialized societies, higher rates of divorce, single parenting, the erosion of trust and loss of genuine friendship that are known to be factors in unhappiness. If upbringing by single parents is an increasing aspect of modern life, aging alone is also a rising prospect. It is ironic that longer life spans afforded by science and medicine should serve to prolong the pains of loneliness and desolation 4. The fourth reason is to be found in the rise in mental illness, alcoholism and related crime across all categories of age. Then there is suicide which is a clear sign of the absence of emotional and psychological anchors in society. It is symptomatic of the failure to see any purpose in life and the loss of hope for happiness. Depression rates too seem to be substantial in many societies and the latest American statistics in this regard are alarmingly most revealing My list is, of course, not exhaustive. These simply represent some of the more popular concerns that the academia and media have brought into sharper focus. Given the socio-cultural impulses from within and evidences from without, it was with no little consideration or conviction that we in Bhutan opted for a development process that some say offers a new paradigm. Policy Response in Bhutan: Four Pillars of GNH GNH is a broader concept and more profound in its implication than conveyed by the current set of policy-bundle priorities as represented by the metaphor of pillars in Bhutan. Within Bhutan, the four priority areas of GNH are perceived as a normatively defined means towards promoting GNH, and that is to create the conditions that would enable every citizen to pursue happiness with a reasonable chance of success. We do appreciate that these may not necessarily find universal application. Further, I must admit that the idea of measuring happiness was dismissed with the remark look at the faces of the people and see it in the breadth of their smile. Rather, we focused on the broad policy priorities that were assumed to be macro-conditions of collective happiness. What is clear to us is that in a state bearing responsibility for collective happiness, GNH must be a serious arbitrator of public policies. And GNH as a programme for social and economic change to remove obstacles to happiness must focus on the content and nature of public policies. If promotion of happiness is the primary purpose of a GNH state, then it is essential that the institutional arrangements of a society reflect this value. Yet it is very challenging to even contemplate what a GNH state should be like. The nature and theoretical foundations of a modern developing or libertarian democratic state are well-known. But the structures and processes of a GNH state are yet to be defined clearly. If at all this needs to be done, should it be distinct from either the ascendant liberal state or declining socialist state. What will be the nature of GNH political economy? What will be appropriate social welfare, legal and constitutional foundations for GNH? What will be its educational and health policies? How would the polity have to change? And so forth. There are many questions that require examination beginning with the basic principles. I am in no position to even suggest at this moment that Bhutan is a GNH state though it aspires to be so. Through conferences like these and researches on happiness, we hope to find lessons and learn while continuing to craft public policies consistent with GNH. At this stage in Bhutan, and as I have just mentioned, the creation of an enabling environment for GNH is being undertaken through a set of four key strategies popularly known as the four pillars. These are: 1. 2. 3. 4. Sustainable and equitable socio-economic development Conservation of environment Preservation and promotion of culture and Promotion of good governance.

These thematic areas may very well be an incomplete catalogue of policy areas for good development, but they do encompass the important areas of concentration to serve the intended purpose. In building and strengthening the four pillars, we must be mindful of their inter-dependence, as indeed in reality, to ensure holistic development. Only with such a holistic perspective, the externalities which are eliminated as costs in one sector cannot reappear in another. I would also add that alternative policy frameworks for GNH are certainly conceivable. It would be interesting to see what this conference may produce in this regard. Sustainable and equitable Socio-economic development The necessity for materialistic development is obvious from the scale of economic suffering faced by the majority of global population. Ignorance, ill health, deprivation and poverty in their most abject forms are still serious challenges faced by much of the developing world. Economic growth is of absolute necessity to eradicate poverty. It is, therefore, true to say that for many countries and for vast sections of our global community for whom physical survival is an every day challenge, economic policies are what matters most. Securing jobs and livelihood are prerequisites of happiness. For them economic policies are happiness policies, but not otherwise. In general, there appear to be three considerations that must guide GNH driven economic development. 1. First, in a GNH economy, the means and nature of economic activities chosen are as important as their result in terms of economic growth. As research by Genuine Progress Index have shown, a GNH economy must make qualitative distinctions in the mix of economic activities for the same level of growth and size of economy. 2. Second, the measurement system for a GNH economy must necessarily be different from conventional measurement of GDP. It must value social and economic contributions of households and families, free time and leisure given the roles of these factors in happiness. The indicators must not be biased towards consumption. It must take into account conservation of social, environmental and human capitals. 3. Third, a GNH economy must concentrate on redistribution of happiness through income redistribution far more seriously. This is not only an ethical proposition but rather because we cannot escape from the reality of living in a world of distorted perceptions where people derive satisfaction from relative, and not absolute wealth or consumption. The self-defeating, vicious spiral of catching up with or bettering the Joness amid unconscionable inequality is a hindrance to collective happiness. Yet, orientation of our perceptions towards actual and absolute needs and the ability to find satisfaction upon having fulfilled such needs is in itself a near impossible but inevitable challenge for a GNH economy. Conservation of Environment Moving on to environment, it would seem from happiness researches that environment and biodiversity are not strong correlates of happiness. This is partly because apparently, no one has attempted to seriously measure happiness against environmental variables. Nevertheless, it is difficult to argue against the value of environment in everyday life and hence our happiness, given that our health and aesthetic experiences depend on the quality of physical environment around us. This is particularly true for the Bhutanese who live in an extremely fragile environment. Among farming communities, such as majority of Bhutanese, living not only close to, but in nature, livelihood depends directly on richness of their immediate natural environment which bestows on them free, wholesome foods, medicines, pleasure and a host of essential materials. I contend that even the development of our finer senses depend on our regular, if not daily, access to natural environment. Thus, I would argue that there is a demonstrable relationship between happiness and natural environment. Given our intuition about environment and happiness, and our fear of the immediate consequences of tampering with the wrathful nature of the Himalayan ecology, Bhutan launched vigorous greening and biodiversity preservation policies, the implementation of which have not been without costs in terms of foregone industrial and commercial opportunities. But our country is greener than it has been in living memory, with 26% of it dedicated as wild life sanctuaries and 72% forest coverage.

But it is not enough that we take local or national actions. There are so many external factors that do and can directly affect our survival. Global warming for instance has already led to very visible and alarming rates of the withdrawal of glaciers, which are the sources and natural regulators of our river systems. Predictions about the definite possibility of the disappearance of all the glaciers in the third Polar region namely, the Himalayas, within the next 30 to 50 years are terrifying to say the least. The latest report of our department of geology and mines, which has been studying glacial behaviour since 1967, is not encouraging at all. For not only Bhutan could eventually become a barren desert but the process leading to it could be devastatingly painful and prolonged. Much of our fertile valleys could be swept away by the glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) that are no longer a rare phenomenon in the mountain regions of the world. The impact of all this on the two and a half billion people living on either side of the Himalayas and on the security of the whole world is unthinkable especially given that water scarcity is already a major concern. It would not only be the Maldives and other low lying islands and coastal real estates that are at risk unless green house gas emissions are controlled and reduced. Likewise, Bhutans susceptibility to the harmful rays of the sun on account of the depletion of the Ozone layer could be significantly more than those in the lower elevations. The world needs to desperately recognize earth as a mortal organism that must be nourished and protected. It desperately needs to accept the mountains of evidence which prove that our finite natural resources are running out while natures magic of regenerating and replenishing are fading away. Someone called Bhutan an acupuncture point in the leviathan body of our ailing planet! Preservation and Promotion of Culture Let me start on the priority area of culture for GNH by pointing out that culture received a rare global attention last year through the UNDPs human development report titled Cultural Diversity in Today's World. Free choice is equated with cultural liberty and as being central to human rights and human development. Throughout, the report resonates with the message that an individual must have the right to choose, change, and revise various elements of his multiple cultural identities. While there should be all the space for choice, we should distinguish situations where individuals change their identities voluntarily from situations where powerless individuals are changed by profoundly pervasive forces such as open-sky and free trade regimes which spawn cultural hybridization, creolization and displacement of vernacular economies, even before one realizes. This is particularly true in highly asymmetric situations like Bhutan where massive external cultural influences could literally overwhelm local cultural values when the borders open wide under the onslaught of globalization - hence the need for a vigorous promotion of indigenous cultures as a context for making available true choice to individuals. We believe that a state which does not preserve its cultural richness is one where the choices and well-being of its citizens are diminished and greatly constrained. It is, however, true that there is also a difficulty in reconciling human rights with cultural rights which are group-based rights. As it has been pointed out, group-based rights do not sit easily with the concept of individuals as autonomous choosers. Nevertheless, what we can say in favour of groupbased traits implied by culture is that choice is instrumental for pursuit of well-being and happiness. But as is well known, well-being and happiness are largely a shared pursuit. Happiness exists and grows with sharing. I find it rather difficult to accept that human development should be seen only from the point of view of individual liberty and as being concerned with widening choices to be and do what one values (should I say, pleases?) without relating to any larger societal good. But the matter about human rights and cultural liberty seems to be more complex in reality. Let me take one point. We need to be attentive to human beings not only as bearers of the same set of universal rights, but also as far more complex individuals with cultural and social particularities that define them. We need to adhere to human rights and liberty as basic universal minimum standards to mediate individuals claims against each other or between individuals and the state. But we could explore further the view that completely meaningful interdependence can arise only when and if we do not see ourselves as just independent and as separate bearers of rights, but as relational beings. As one scholar put it, suffering and unhappiness in the end, arise not so much from factual conditions of loss or misfortune, but when the flow of meaningful relationships is blocked or interrupted.

I also find the emphasis on rule of law to regulate human interrelationships intriguing. There is a paradox in preaching against conformity and promoting rule of law at the same time. Excessive emphasis on the rule of law to the extent of regulating most forms of human relationships and conduct by the state at the cost of social and customary norms and practices is, in my opinion, state coercion to conform. It undermines the virtue and the indispensability of social and voluntary responsibility arising from respect for and belief in society and its values. I have often wondered whether diminishing community life along with its imperatives is the result of our voluminous laws. It seems sensible, as an example, to strengthen those customs and traditions which require married people to be good to their spouses and children because they see virtue in it and want to enjoy the happiness that it generates rather than to be seen doing so because the law requires it with threat of retribution. Good Governance In one sense, securing any public good, such as collective happiness, depends on realising governance oriented to it. Logically, if a government should reflect the ultimate democratic desire or opinion of the people, which is happiness, then the nature of governance should also be attuned to it. But I must admit that both theoretically and practically, we are far from grounding GNH in any contemporary system of government and political structures, of which the most well established is liberal democratic system. However, in keeping with times, we in Bhutan are about to formally take up parliamentary democracy. His Majesty the King, the fountainhead of all positive changes, has recently circulated the Draft Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan that opts for liberal democratic institutions. We have taken such a system as the best conceivable institutional arrangement for securing any public good and good governance. But we should not betray ourselves with the belief that liberal democratic system is the climactic manifestation in a linear and convergent evolution of political institutions, as some scholars have supposed. Distinguished participants, you are well aware that even in the best of the great democratic societies, the signal values of democracies like freedom and equality that man has struggled to attain seem set at one moment but unsteady at another. We are well aware of the tension between freedom and equality and the shifting boundary between them. Likewise, we are reminded time and again, of the vacillating lines between the private and public domains, and between secularism and politics. All human institutions are systems of relationships between and among actors; in themselves they have no inherent nature. We can always attempt to move in a direction of improving our shared situations or relationalities, which are where happiness arises and dissolves, depending on the quality of relationships. In so doing, we can improve any institutional arrangement and human conditions. For example, even alleviating poverty - a primary objective of most governments and international agencies - is only partly a matter of alleviating objective material circumstances. As I understand, poverty results from failure of relationships which can be revived or strengthened by better values and intentions in the heart of institutions. What seems to demand attention even among democratic states is the question about motivational values that drive the institutions holding power, instead of their forms alone. We need to ask whether values and intentions that guide them and the processes employed for governance, both at the national and international levels, are aligned with search for happiness, where every persons happiness matters to equal degree. The fact that national governance and international relations are so intertwined as never before, as national governance is rarely independent of the international context in a globalized world, also presents opportunities. It provides scope and reason to ponder question and rethink the aims, content and nature of international relations and global institutions. We must ask and consider as to whether focusing on happiness can lead us to a more peaceful, harmonious and equitable world and truly sustainable and civilized human society. Conclusion To sum up, GNH is a balanced and holistic approach to development. It is based on the conviction that man is bound by nature to search for happiness, and that it is the single most desire of every citizen. The only difference between Bhutan and others is that we do not dismiss it as a utopian quest.

Bhutan hopes to learn from the ongoing discourse on the subject. We are deeply encouraged by the growing number of articles and books that have begun appearing on the subject since our first international conference on GNH in Thimphu. Likewise, we have had the pleasure of welcoming many research scholars and prominent journalists to Bhutan. Evidently, there is growing interest in how to be happy as opposed to how to make money. Dollars and cents are not the bottom line in life. It is our hope that as more thought is given to this common quest in life, there will be more ideas and reasons why GNH should guide human development to further human civilization.

NEED FOR GNH INDEX:

Across the world, indicators focus largely on market transactions, covering trade, monetary exchange rates, stockmarket, growth, etc. These dominant, conventional indicators, generally related to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reflect quantity of physical output of a society. GDP, along with a host of supporting indicators, is the most widely used indicator. Yet GDP is heavily biased towards increased production and consumption, regardless of the necessity or desirability of such outputs, at the expense of other more holistic criterion. It is biased against conservation since it does not register conservation or stocks. Indicators determine policies. The almost universal use of GDP-based indicators to measure progress has helped justify policies around the world that are based on rapid material progress at the expense of environmental preservation, cultures, and community cohesion. Indicators embody values. In general, policy makers tend to implement policies or programmes based on current international development trends, without taking into consideration the values that lie behind such trends. One way to overcome this tendency is by recognizing the fact that between values and policy implementation stand indicators. Values, policies and programmes are mediated by indicators. Indicators capture the imagination and help convince lay people about the direction of the countrys goals and development objectives, but it is not always easy for the people to discern that indicators are not value neutral, and that values and principles underlie and determine programmes and policies. Indicators actually drive society in certain directions and even determine the policy agendas of governments. Not only decision makers, but ordinary citizens, tend to take social or economic programmes at face-value, and accept proposed policy implementation without examining the ultimate values underlying those programmes. But indicators can help bridge that gap. As many contemporary indicators of progress and development do not reflect GNH adequately, the Royal Government of Bhutan directed the Centre for Bhutan Studies (CBS) to develop GNH index, which will provide appropriate indicators for Bhutanese development. The Centre for Bhutan Studies constructed a single number index for Gross National Happiness that can be broken down into individual component indicators that are useful for different sectors for planning and technical purposes at the ministerial and departmental levels. Although GNH is a complex concept and ideal, for practical application, GNH philosophy had to be translated into a metric system. The government expressed the need for GNH indicators because without some kind of measurement system, GNH cannot guide practical policies and programmes.

Left at the level of inspirational discourse, imprecision will allow many conventional indicators to play unwitting roles in a GNH society. GNH indicators are also needed to foster vision and a sense of common purpose. Left at the plane of vision, GNH cannot specify the practical programmes and resources needed to attain those visions in quantitative terms. In this respect, screening tools for projects and policies developed by the Centre for Bhutan are expected to used for selection of policies and programmes, which are aligned with GNH. People clarify their vision by specifying targets and indicators that serve to point to areas of weakness and strength. Indicators serve as convenient instruments and yardsticks of evaluation over time.

GNH indicators can become tools of accountability. The sense of common purpose embodied in a coherent set of indicators enables ordinary men and women to more readily judge, hold accountable their leaders, by checking whether these the targets are being fulfilled. Without a common vision concretized through indicators, each individual merely looks to his or her own ends, even though welfare is a shared pursuit. Not only do GNH indicators assist in building vision, they are instrumental to that vision being held in common by all citizens, building a notion of greater interdependence across time and over space. Once people are familiar with GNH indicators, they can have a practical effect on consumer and citizens behaviour. The behaviour changing function can emerge in significant ways when there are appropriate indicators that direct attention towards both the causes of problems and the manner in which behaviour and decisions can prevent and solve those problems. This potential behaviour changing function of GNH indicators can be valuable. For example, certain indicators for GNH gauge the prevalence rates of negative and positive emotions, from compassion to anger. The level of trust, volunteerism and safety can also be tracked. Information on their prevalence rates will influence peoples behaviour as they begin to gauge their own traits against the national trends. To qualify as a valid indicator of GNH, an indicator with respect to any variable has to have either a positive or a negative influence on well-being and happiness. The direction of causality on happiness and well-being must be clear. For examples, less crime, illness, and air pollution have a more positive influence on happiness than more crime, illness, and pollution. GNH indicators include both objective and subjective dimensions of life. The construction of an index should give equal weight to both the functional aspects of human society as well as the emotive side of human experience. To give just one example, peoples perceptions of their own safety and security are as important in determining happiness as objective crime statistics. That balance allows good representation of information between the objective and the subjective. When measuring objective conditions such as educational and medical facilities, or room ratios etc., measure of the psychological or subjective experience that accompanies this condition is important. For example, a student attends a school that scores highly in the conventional educational statistics, but he/she subjectively views the educational experience as entirely deficientthe teachers might be oppressive, or the classroom tense. In other words, the process of obtaining the education, including the classroom experience, does not promote a sense of well-being in the student, despite the schools

apparent high objective performance. Self reporting of experiences along with objective statistics therefore provides a more accurate picture of well-being than the objective statistics alone. As indicators reflect values, and shape programmes, they become a vital link in providing feed-back on the effectiveness of existing policies and programmes and feed-forward into programme implementation, thereby allowing the values they embody to be infused into policies and programmes in a broad based manner. Thus, in the case of using GNH indicators as evaluative tools, they can be used not only to check whether programmes are consistent with GNH indicators but also to create conditions for a coherent, organic relationship between professed values on the one hand and actual policies, programmes and projects on the other. The ramification of pursuing such an organic relationship should be recognized for the polity of Bhutan as a whole: if it is done successfully, it means that the countrys economic, political, social, environmental, cultural and technological environments will be penetrated by GNH values, and that there will be a natural coherence to the countrys policies that reflect its cherished values. At the same time, from a Bhutanese cultural perspective, it must be understood that the subjective versus objective distinction is merely a heuristic device that does not in any fundamental sense represent what is basic to the nature of reality. The interdependence of all things, and the nonabiding self of everything, is a key concept. The conventional subjective versus objective division is an abstraction from what is actually inter-relational. For GNH indicators, this cultural concept means that seeing everything as relational is more useful than seeing them as separate categories. In fact, happiness itself dwells in the experience of quality of relationship. Thus, the various domains are not simply separate conditions of happiness in and of themselves. Rather, it is the intimate interrelationship among these domains that is significant. The GNH index construction aimed at a deeper representation of well-being than conventional indicators. The distinction between subjective and objective is but an abstraction from reality, given that from a Buddhist view, they do not exist. What exists in a fundamental way is relationality (as opposed to subject and object) at all levels, which can only be assessed by a broad range of social, economic, cultural, and environmental indicators. Seen in this way, happiness and well-being is ultimately a way of being that is affected by and affects relational quality, which changes in meaning over time with deepening sensitivities to the world around us and with our understanding of what is important or valuable for us and for all sentient beings.

NEED FOR GNH INDEX:

Across the world, indicators focus largely on market transactions, covering trade, monetary exchange rates, stockmarket, growth, etc. These dominant, conventional indicators, generally related to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reflect quantity of physical output of a society. GDP, along with a host of supporting indicators, is the most widely used indicator. Yet GDP is heavily biased towards increased production and consumption, regardless of the necessity or desirability of such outputs, at the expense of other more holistic criterion. It is biased against conservation since it does not register conservation or stocks.

Indicators determine policies. The almost universal use of GDP-based indicators to measure progress has helped justify policies around the world that are based on rapid material progress at the expense of environmental preservation, cultures, and community cohesion. Indicators embody values. In general, policy makers tend to implement policies or programmes based on current international development trends, without taking into consideration the values that lie behind such trends. One way to overcome this tendency is by recognizing the fact that between values and policy implementation stand indicators. Values, policies and programmes are mediated by indicators. Indicators capture the imagination and help convince lay people about the direction of the countrys goals and development objectives, but it is not always easy for the people to discern that indicators are not value neutral, and that values and principles underlie and determine programmes and policies. Indicators actually drive society in certain directions and even determine the policy agendas of governments. Not only decision makers, but ordinary citizens, tend to take social or economic programmes at face-value, and accept proposed policy implementation without examining the ultimate values underlying those programmes. But indicators can help bridge that gap. As many contemporary indicators of progress and development do not reflect GNH adequately, the Royal Government of Bhutan directed the Centre for Bhutan Studies (CBS) to develop GNH index, which will provide appropriate indicators for Bhutanese development. The Centre for Bhutan Studies constructed a single number index for Gross National Happiness that can be broken down into individual component indicators that are useful for different sectors for planning and technical purposes at the ministerial and departmental levels. Although GNH is a complex concept and ideal, for practical application, GNH philosophy had to be translated into a metric system. The government expressed the need for GNH indicators because without some kind of measurement system, GNH cannot guide practical policies and programmes. Left at the level of inspirational discourse, imprecision will allow many conventional indicators to play unwitting roles in a GNH society. GNH indicators are also needed to foster vision and a sense of common purpose. Left at the plane of vision, GNH cannot specify the practical programmes and resources needed to attain those visions in quantitative terms. In this respect, screening tools for projects and policies developed by the Centre for Bhutan are expected to used for selection of policies and programmes, which are aligned with GNH. People clarify their vision by specifying targets and indicators that serve to point to areas of weakness and strength. Indicators serve as convenient instruments and yardsticks of evaluation over time.

GNH indicators can become tools of accountability. The sense of common purpose embodied in a coherent set of indicators enables ordinary men and women to more readily judge, hold accountable their leaders, by checking whether these the targets are being fulfilled. Without a common vision concretized through indicators, each individual merely looks to his or her own ends, even though welfare is a shared pursuit. Not only do GNH indicators assist in building vision, they are instrumental to that vision being held in common by all citizens, building a notion of greater interdependence across time and over space. Once people are familiar with GNH indicators, they can have a practical effect on consumer and citizens behaviour. The behaviour changing function can emerge in significant ways when there are appropriate indicators that direct attention towards both the causes of problems and the manner in which behaviour and decisions can prevent and solve those problems. This potential behaviour changing function of GNH indicators can be valuable. For example, certain indicators for GNH gauge the prevalence rates of negative and positive emotions, from compassion to anger. The level of trust, volunteerism and safety can also be tracked. Information on their prevalence rates will influence peoples behaviour as they begin to gauge their own traits against the national trends. To qualify as a valid indicator of GNH, an indicator with respect to any variable has to have either a positive or a negative influence on well-being and happiness. The direction of causality on happiness and well-being must be clear. For examples, less crime, illness, and air pollution have a more positive influence on happiness than more crime, illness, and pollution. GNH indicators include both objective and subjective dimensions of life. The construction of an index should give equal weight to both the functional aspects of human society as well as the emotive side of human experience. To give just one example, peoples perceptions of their own safety and security are as important in determining happiness as objective crime statistics. That balance allows good representation of information between the objective and the subjective. When measuring objective conditions such as educational and medical facilities, or room ratios etc., measure of the psychological or subjective experience that accompanies this condition is important. For example, a student attends a school that scores highly in the conventional educational statistics, but he/she subjectively views the educational experience as entirely deficientthe teachers might be oppressive, or the classroom tense. In other words, the process of obtaining the education, including the classroom experience, does not promote a sense of well-being in the student, despite the schools apparent high objective performance. Self reporting of experiences along with objective statistics therefore provides a more accurate picture of well-being than the objective statistics alone. As indicators reflect values, and shape programmes, they become a vital link in providing feed-back on the effectiveness of existing policies and programmes and feed-forward into programme implementation, thereby allowing the values they embody to be infused into policies and programmes in a broad based manner. Thus, in the case of using GNH indicators as evaluative tools, they can be used not only to check whether programmes are consistent with GNH indicators but also to create conditions for a coherent, organic relationship between professed values on the one hand and actual policies, programmes and projects on the other. The ramification of pursuing such an organic relationship should be recognized for the polity of Bhutan as a whole: if it is done successfully, it means that the countrys economic, political, social, environmental, cultural and technological environments will be penetrated by GNH values, and that there will be a natural coherence to the countrys policies that reflect its cherished values. At the same time, from a Bhutanese cultural perspective, it must be understood that the subjective versus objective distinction is merely a heuristic device that does not in any fundamental sense represent what is basic to the nature of reality. The interdependence of all things, and the nonabiding self of everything, is a key concept. The conventional subjective versus objective division is an

abstraction from what is actually inter-relational. For GNH indicators, this cultural concept means that seeing everything as relational is more useful than seeing them as separate categories. In fact, happiness itself dwells in the experience of quality of relationship. Thus, the various domains are not simply separate conditions of happiness in and of themselves. Rather, it is the intimate interrelationship among these domains that is significant. The GNH index construction aimed at a deeper representation of well-being than conventional indicators. The distinction between subjective and objective is but an abstraction from reality, given that from a Buddhist view, they do not exist. What exists in a fundamental way is relationality (as opposed to subject and object) at all levels, which can only be assessed by a broad range of social, economic, cultural, and environmental indicators. Seen in this way, happiness and well-being is ultimately a way of being that is affected by and affects relational quality, which changes in meaning over time with deepening sensitivities to the world around us and with our understanding of what is important or valuable for us and for all sentient beings.

GNH AS GOAL:
Happiness is a subjectively felt public good. Happiness is a public good, as all human beings value it. Hence, the government of Bhutan takes the view that it cannot be left exclusively to private individual devices and strivings. If a governments policy framework, and thus a nations macro-conditions, is adverse to happiness, happiness will fail as a collective goal. Any government concerned with happiness must create conducive conditions for happiness in which individual strivings can succeed. In this context, public policies are needed to educate citizens about collective happiness. People can make wrong choices that lead them away from happiness. Right policy frameworks can address and reduce such problems from recurring on a large scale. There are many entities, such as the corporations and other organizations, above the individual level that make choices and decisions that impact collective happiness. Individuals are relatively less powerful to redress decisions of big organizations if they are contrary to the goal of collective happiness. This fact implies that there are negative externalities to happiness associated with consumption that needs to be curbed. Public policy instruments have to correct externalities when they are present in a large scale. At the same time, to cultivate a positive psychology which does not work always on invidious comparison is important for personal development. Our understanding of how the mind achieves happiness affects our experience of happiness by influencing the means we choose in striving towards it. In some branches of the behavioral sciences, the mind is conceived of as an inputoutput device responding to external stimuli. One consequence of this model is that happy and pleasurable feelings are seen as dependent solely upon external stimuli. Happiness is perceived as a direct consequence of sensory pleasures. With such an overemphasis on external stimuli as the source for happiness, it isnt surprising that individuals are led to believe that being materialistic will increase their happiness. But there is a contrary tradition to the external stimuli based happiness that point to a different source of happiness, showing that pleasurable feelings will be generated by shutting down sensory inputs and the related mental chatter. This involves secular meditation whereby the individual experiences the subject itself, as opposed to the subject perceiving external stimuli. There is much less external input

to happiness through contemplative method. Long enough meditation may lead the brain structure (neural pathways) to be changed such that calmness and contentment will be a personality trait. In other words, the mental faculties can be trained towards happiness. From a contemplative perspective, extreme reliance on externally derived pleasure distracts the individual from inner sources of happiness, elevating the latter. When this cultural view is applied, stable and sustainable economies can be termed successful. An economy that is continually growing at an unsustainable rate may be seen as a failure due to its inability to promote detachment from the proliferation of wants. Sustainable and stationary economy may signal that stability in wants and psychological stability have been achieved among the consumers. GNH encourages individuals to see all things as interdependent with all other things. In order to achieve collective happiness, the principle of interdependence needs to be taken on by everyone. Members of a GNH society would cultivate a third eye, which can elevate our vision beyond individual self-interest to address the happiness of all, as a collective goal. The third eye metaphorically represents our potential to see all things as interdependent across time and space. Equity is central to GNH. The perception of happiness that doesnt take into account the needs of others happiness is irresponsible and egocentric, and the pursuit of such happiness is likely to be unethical. Happiness blossoms through enhanced relationships, arising unbidden when relationships improve. In this sense, the whole of development is a progress in relationships, not of individuals.

INSTITUTIONS IMPLEMENTING GNH:

The constitution of Bhutan describes the state and the government as having responsibilities to pursue GNH. GNH should become a serious arbitrator of public policies and plans. Correspondingly, there are institutions to apply GNH to policy and programme formulation. His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck established a new institutional structure of GNH in January 2008 when the GNH Commission was founded in order to function as the apex strategic body for planning national development. The decision to open GNH committees at the ministerial, dzongkhag (district) and gewog (block) levels was also announced by the Prime Minister at that time. These changes more clearly define the structures and processes of decision making unique to a GNH state. These institutions and processes will forge stronger and clearer links between concepts of GNH and their application to policy and programme. Because of these initiatives, GNH will increasingly shape the nature of Bhutan s political economy, legal foundation, health and education systems much more distinctively in the course of time. The ruling party, Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, have committed itself to pursuing GNH. The government is therefore fine tuning their policies and plans according to the development philosophy of GNH.

SURVEY FOR DEVELOPING GNH INDICATORS:

The Good Governance Exercise carried out by the Royal Government in 2005 mandated the Centre for Bhutan Studies to develop indicators for Gross National Happiness (GNH). Financial support was obtained from the Royal Government of Bhutan and United Nations Development Programme, Thimphu , for both a pilot and the final survey. Between September 2006 and January 2007, the pilot survey was administered on randomly chosen 350 respondents aged 15 and above to test the feasibility and robustness of GNH pilot questionnaire. The districts surveyed were Paro, Chukha,

Punakha, Trongsa, Bumthang, Mongar, Lhuentse, Sarpang and Thimphu . Initially, it took 7-8 hours to interview one respondent. The places surveyed ranged from remote, to semi-urban, to urban populations of Bhutan . It took three months to complete the pilot survey. The pilot survey questionnaire, which was found to be too lengthy, was pared down to a questionnaire that took half a day to interview in the final survey carried out from December 2007 to March 2008. The survey was carried out in 12 of the 20 districts: Dagana, Tsirang, Wangdiphodrang, Samtse, Zhemgang, Pemagatshel, Samdrupjongkhar, Tashigang, Tashiyangtse, Gasa, Haa and Thimphu . Unfortunately, resources were insufficient to carry out surveys in the remaining eight districts. A total of 950 respondents were interviewed in the 12 districts. The questionnaire covered the key areas affecting the values and principles of GNH, roughly divided into the domains of psychological well-being, health, time use, education, culture, good governance, ecology, community vitality and living standards. The survey questionnaire included one hundred and eighty eight questions. The questionnaire consisted of a mixture of objective, subjective, and open-ended questions. The subjective voice that has been relatively neglected in social sciences as a whole and in indicators in particular has been restored in GNH indicators to produce a balanced representation of information between the objective and the subjective. The indicators of GNH were estimated from the primary data generated from the survey carried out from December 2007 to March 2008.

DIMENSIONS AND INDICATORS OF GNH:

The efforts towards developing a GNH index was undertaken to provide Bhutan with a valuable set of indicators that can be utilized in making its development efforts more holistic and harmonious in its goals and means. The single number GNH index and its component indicators provide Bhutan with three different levels and types of indicators:

GNH status indicators. Hundreds of such indicators have already been calculated from the primary data. GNH demographic indicators. These indicators show distribution of GNH dimensions across different social, economic and demographic groups. GNH causal and correlation indicators.

The GNH index been designed to fulfill various criteria which are needed for periodic national measure of happiness that is also relevant to national and district policy.

A measure of Gross National Happiness might be presumed to comprise a single psychological question on happiness such as Taking all things together, would you say you are: Very happy, Rather happy, Not very happy, or Not at all happy. Another measure is the subjective well being measure generated from a question such as On the scale of one to ten, how would you rate yourself? One is not a happy person and 10 is a very happy person. However, neither of these indicators are good multi-dimensional measures of happiness. The objectives of the kingdom of Bhutan , and the Bhutanese understandings of happiness, are much broader than those that are referred to as happiness in the Western literature. Under the title of happiness, we include range of dimensions of human well-being. Some of these are quite traditional areas of social concern such as living standard, health, and education. Some are less traditional, such as time use, emotional wellbeing, culture, community vitality, or environmental diversity. The Gross National Happiness index is generated to reflect the happiness and general well-being of the Bhutanese population more accurately and profoundly than a monetary measure. The measure will both inform Bhutanese people and the wider world about the current levels of human fulfillment in Bhutan and how these vary across districts and across time, and will also inform government policy. The GNH indicators have been designed to include nine core dimensions that are regarded as components of happiness and well-being in Bhutan , and are constructed of indicators which are robust and informative with respect to each of the dimensions. The nine dimensions were selected on normative grounds, and are equally weighted, because each dimension is considered to be relatively equal in terms of equal intrinsic importance as a component of gross national happiness. Within each dimension, several indicators were selected that seemed likely to remain informative across time, had high response rates, and were relatively uncorrelated. The nine dimensions are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Psychological Well-being Time Use Community Vitality Culture Health Education Environmental Diversity Living Standard

9. Governance
In this perspective happiness comprises having sufficient achievements in each of the nine dimensions.

PSYCHOLOGICAL:
The domain of psychological well-being as an end includes satisfaction with all elements of life, life enjoyment, and subjective well-being. As collective happiness is the main goal in a GNH society, psychological well-being is of primary importance in gauging the success of the state in providing appropriate policies and services. Among component indicators of the psychological well-being domain,

general psychological distress rate, prevalence rates of both negative emotions (jealousy, frustration, selfishness) and positive emotions (generosity, compassion, calmness), spiritual activities like meditation and prayers, and consideration of karmic effects in daily life were calculated. The psychological well-being index covered three areas:

General psychological distress indicators, Emotional balance indicators, and Spirituality indicators.

TIME USE: The domain of time use is one of the most effective windows on quality of life, as it analyzes the nature of time spent within a 24-hour period, as well as activities that occupy longer periods of time. An important function of tracking time use is to acknowledge the value of non-work time for happiness. The time available for non-work activities such as sleeping, personal care, community participation, education and learning, religious activities, social and cultural activities, sports and leisure and travel can directly indicate diversity of activities that add to rich life and contribute to levels of happiness. Measurement of time, devoted unpaid work activities like care of children and sick members of household, and maintenance of household, can provide a proxy measure of contribution made by unpaid activities to welfare though the value of such activities are completely underestimated in national accounts. In the GNH index, time use component was divided into benchmark indicators of sleeping hours and of total working hours.

COMMUNITY VITALITY: The domain of community vitality focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of relationships and interactions within communities. It examines the nature of trust, belongingness, vitality of caring relationships, safety in home and community, and giving and volunteering. These indicators can track changes in adverse affects on community vitality. The community vitality indicators consist of:

Family vitality indicator, Safety indicator, Reciprocity indicator, Trust indicator, Social support indicator, Socialization indicator, and Kinship density indicator.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND RESILIENCE: Maintenance of cultural traditions has been one of Bhutan s primary policy goals, as traditions and cultural diversity contributes to identity, values, and creativity. The domain of culture focuses on the diversity and strength of cultural traditions. The domain takes into account the nature and number of cultural facilities, language use patterns and diversity, and participation in community festivities and traditional recreations. The indicators estimate core values, and perception of changes in values and traditions. The indicators of cultural diversity and resilience consist of:

Dialect use indicator, Traditional sports indicator, Community festival indicator, Artisan skill indicator, Value transmission indicator, and Basic precept indicator.

HEALTH: The health indicators assess the health status of the population, the determinants of health and the health system. Health status indicators show information on self-rated health, disabilities, body mass index, number of healthy days per month. Health indicators also cover the prevalence of knowledge about HIV transmission and breast feeding practices. Lastly, barrier to health services are assessed in terms of walking distance to the nearest health facility, which includes both western and indigenous systems. Thus the health index consists of:

Health status indicator, Health knowledge indicator, and Barrier to health indicator.

EDUCATION: Education contributes to the knowledge, values, creativity, skills, and civic sensibility of citizens. A domain such as education is not intended merely to measure the success of education in and of itself, but rather to assess the effectiveness of education in working towards the goal of collective well-being. The domain of education looks at a number of factors: participation, skills, among others. However, in the education index, a limited number of variables could be included. The education index consists of:

Education attainment indicator, Dzongkha language indicator, and Folk and historical literacy indicator.

ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND RESILIENCE:

By examining the state of Bhutan s natural resources, the pressures on ecosystems, and different management responses, the domain of ecological diversity and resilience is intended to describe the impact of domestic supply and demand on Bhutan s ecosystems. However, since most of the objective measurements of ecological diversity and resilience are surveyed by other agencies, GNH survey gathered information on perceptual data on ecology. The ecological diversity and resilience indicators consist of:

Ecological degradation indicator, Ecological knowledge indicator, and Afforestation indicator.

LIVING STANDARD: The domain of living standards covers the basic economic status of the people. The indicators assess the levels of income at the individual and household levels, sense of financial security, room ratio, food security, house ownership. The indicators were also constructed for economic hardships as shown by inability to repairs houses, inability to contribute to community festivities, and purchase of second hand clothes. Thus the living standard indicators consist of:

Income indicator, Housing indicator, Food security indicator, and

Hardship indicator.

GOOD GOVERNANCE: The domain of good governance evaluates how people perceive various government functions in terms of their efficacy, honesty, and quality. The themes of indicators include human rights, leadership at various levels of government, performance of government in delivering services and controlling inequality and corruption, peoples trust in media, judiciary, and police. Therefore, the indicators of good governance consist of:

Government performance indicator, Freedom indicator, and Institutional trust indicator.

a. Psychological Wellbeing:

b. Community Vitality:

c. Culture

d. Time Use

e. Good Governance

f. Ecology

g. Living Standards

h. Health

i. Education

GNH in curricula:

IN SCHOOLS:
(i) Maths It was widely acknowledged that a key challenge is to use a GNH approach in teaching without compromising the content or rigour of existing curricular materials.

As a direct result of the December workshop discussions, this will be explicitly demonstrated in the principals workshops in relation to the math curriculum. Household budgeting and management, which is rarely taught well anywhere in the world, will be used to demonstrate how all existing mathematical functions, from simple arithmetic to percentages, interest rates, algebra, and calculus) can be taught while conveying the importance of prioritizing household needs and expenditures rather than giving in to desire and consumerist impulses. Wider GNH-related economic implications can also be conveyed, including the impacts of consumer debt, and the importance of acknowledging social and environmental benefits and costs in accounting. This approach supports the living standard domain of GNH.

(ii) Science A second example will be demonstrated at the principals workshops through the use of school vegetable gardens to teach important scientific principles while at the same time conveying the interdependent nature of reality, the impacts of environmental degradation, the benefits of ecologically friendly practices, and the value of local wisdom and indigenous knowledgeall of which are consistent with GNH principles and values. Other breakout group recommendations to bring GNH principles into science learning included: Bringing the classroom into nature and nature into the classroom. Value of learning in nature through class projects, field trips, and research, including using indigenous local knowledge to identify Bhutanese medicinal and other plants in nearby forests. A best practice is that of Mr. Wangchuk, former principal of Ura secondary school, who founded nature clubs, used local resources to teach himself, published a book on the wildflowers of Bhutan, and is now producing a second book on medicinal plants. Mr Wangchuk will be invited for the introductory session to this breakout group in the principals workshops.

Increasing the environmental studies component of science curricula; and learning scientific principles and functions through hands-on activities. Examples raised by this breakout group included: creating sustainable systems within schools so that schools become models for their communities (e.g. zero waste management practices, use of solar energy, water conservation, using renewable and low impact resources for school supplies); involving school children in care and management of community forests and learning the significance of a forest from a spiritual point of view (Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi); and having school children participate in planting, harvesting and other farming practices. It was suggested that principals encourage science teachers to look outside their doors. Dr Vandana Shiva referenced a school in which the children studied biodiversity by identifying and compiling a list of all the plants in their community. That exercise, she reported, brought the children to realize how rich their own community was. Dr. Shiva recommended that children learn how sane human behaviour can be modelled on natures own examples (like the earthworm giving more nutrition than it takes in by contrast to Indias industrial agricultural system that uses far more energy than the food it produces.) Dr Art-Ong described how the children in his school grew their own rice and noted that his school was entirely self-sufficient in food. This breakout group challenged the way science is currently taught (which too frequently is based on a mechanistic view and exploitation of nature) and recommended approaches to science based on observing and learning from nature and a holistic, integrative approach more consistent with GNH and Buddhist principles and values. A second science breakout group, consisting of Zenobia Barlow, Bunker Roy, Manish Jain, Sonam Wangchuk, David Orr, Satish Kumar, Deki Pema, Sally Booth, and Naina Kala Gurung, pointed out that it isnt the people who are scientifically illiterate who are wrecking the earth; its the scientifically literate people who are ruining the planet. In other words, science is wrongly (and dangerously) taught. We need to challenge the misleading way in which science is currently taught, and ask what is science from a universal GNH standpoint? How can science be taught in a way that inspires reverence for the world and for the ecological environment that sustains us? At this critical and crucial historical juncture, facing the realities of climate change and of an economic growth paradigm that has created both global warming and global inequality (in which one billion are over-nourished while one billion are malnourished), we literally have to change the way Science Education is taught. In other words, accepting the existing textbook paradigm and curriculum wont work. We need a new approach entirely one that values indigenous knowledge, that teaches economics accurately in terms of its impact on the earth, and that draws on ancient Bhutanese wisdom that knows how human beings can live in harmony with nature. To this end, this group recommended explorations into the real, living science present in local knowledge and communities, including the science in the home (like the use of food, energy, and waste in ways that do not harm the earth). How did our grandparents deal with waste and how do we

deal with it today? Here the group referenced the empty plate policy that we want to profile at the principals workshop. The group recommended hands-on exercises that would work even with younger children, like asking them to identify three products that we use and consume, and which we think are necessary to our everyday lives, which come from the global corporate culture? The true costs and impacts of these products can then be explored. The students can then explore the kinds of alternatives that could be used, which are not dependent on unsustainable industrial production to fulfil these same three functions? What kind of science and technology can be used in Bhutanese villages to improve lives without sacrificing the environment (e.g. explore and understand solar energy from both a scientific and a practical point of view)? From there, the students could be encouraged to explore different forms of right livelihood and new GNH-based careers that support the local economy. They can be asked to identify 10 such livelihoods and new opportunities and to create an action plan. In this way, science education can support not only the ecological but also the economic pillars of GNH. This exploration can begin right at school how, for example, can we create a zero waste school, what would be the daily practices in such a school, how can we reduce waste immediately, and how can students become actively involved in such a project? The group recommended concrete lesson plans and activities, including showing the movie The Story of Stuff, weighing the lunchtime waste of a week (suitable for a math project) and examining and understanding its contents, collecting and displaying the waste generated in a week, and making toys and useful objects our of waste products. And the group recommended a workshop for science teachers to transmit these and many other creative activities that can be used to transmit scientific principles and methods that are more accurate and more in line with reality than the methods and approaches currently used. We had some of the worlds best and most reputable environmental educators at our December workshop, and they are well equipped to lead such a workshop. Other potential topics discussed by the group as examples of the new science are close examination of current consumption patterns and systems, including food systems? From how far away did the food we are eating come? What are the supply chains? What were the impacts of producing and bringing it here? What is the economy of food production and consumption? What is the science behind the threat of potential glacial lake outburst floods in Bhutan, and how can glacial melting affect not only this country but all those downstream of the glacier-fed Himalayan rivers? How has climate change changed the water supply, and how might the changing water supply change the agriculture of the local environment? How can energy be saved and what is the science (and economics) of alternative energy forms?

How can we build a Bhutan that is truly resilient 20 years from now when our children will face a very different world? And how can GNH present a different economic strategy for resilient economic development? How can we value solutions inherent in indigenous knowledge and local wisdom? This breakout group described GNH as an immune system to globally destructive tendencies.

Bhutanese science teachers can be educated to lead exciting and inventive projects to examine and chart changes in local ecological systems. In this process, science teachers can actively draw on local resources and knowledge. For example, local elders and farmers can be invited into the classroom to describe changes they have seen in their own lifetimes and to share that experience with the children. What changes have they seen in sowing and harvesting times, in the pattern of rains, for example? How have households dealt with changes in the water supply? What actions can be taken to prevent floods (so students can appreciate the vitally important hard manual work and personal sacrifice of labourers this past summer moving rocks at Bhutans glacial lakes to prevent GLOFs)

These local elders can be recognized and acknowledged as Honorary Teacher Ambassadors. This process therefore supports not only the economic and environmental pillars of GNH, but also community vitality and the knowledge and wisdom embedded in cultural traditions. Raising questions like the above can engender real curiosity in children and a passion for science. Even more importantly, they can engender confidence in realizing that solutions are possible and that the knowledge of those solutions is near at hand. These and many other key questions are the potential basis of a new GNH-based science curriculum. To create this new curriculum and to accept that science education must change to acknowledge present realities like climate change, Bhutans school principals and teachers first have to become genuinely sceptical about the so-called science education that we now have. From honestly examining these truths, hope will arise and a new science education path will unfold, along with recognition that we already have the resources and knowledge to begin implementing that without delay.

(iii) History This breakout group focussed on use of local resources in teaching history in order to bring history to life and make it more personal and relevant for students than textbooks alone could do. Examples included tracing students own family and local community history, inviting community elders into the classroom, and using participatory research and community mapping methods in addition to critical and analytical thinking.

It was recommended that the cultural context of historical events could be emphasized rather than simple events, and that facts could be balanced with exploration of legends, folk lore, and values from the monastic traditions. The group noted that the teaching of history should support the cultural pillar of GNH. (iv) Sports: This breakout group noted that sports by its very nature can enhance the physical and mental health components of GNH. The group then discussed in detail two basic principles of bringing a GNH quality further into school sports activities:

 Inclusiveness means that all students are given the opportunity to participate, regardless of ability. Games might include mandatory substituting of players in both teams, so that the best players do not dominate the whole game. Non-competitiveness in teamwork can be achieved through cooperative games, especially with younger children. Among older students, one technique is for teams to exchange some players in a competitive match to reduce group / class/ or school ego. For example, one school principal described a tournament in which each school brought a certain number of players, but the teams were then created with a mix of players from the various schools with an equal range of abilities. (v) Language This group began by identifying GNH values that are already in the curriculum but are not made explicit. It was suggested that a key strategy for principals and teachers is simply to make those GNHbased values more explicit than at present. The group recommended specific teaching techniques that foster mindful listening and creative storytelling and writing. For example, they could share stories of positive and negative school experiences with one student listening to a partners story and then sharing that story with the larger group (which requires careful listening). The group can then analyse which elements are common to the positive and to the negative experiences in order to link successes and failures to GNH principles. Stories can then be selected for writing exercises and illustration. Inspired local community story-tellers can be invited into the classroom. These might include grandparents or recognized authors like Kunzang Choden. The group also recommended silent reading time, book-making (with student-made books included in the school library), and identifying stories and folk tales that embody GNH principles (like using the Four Friends story to demonstrate the value of collaboration).

VISUAL ARTS, DANCE, DRAMA, AND MUSIC:

Two breakout groups considered the arts in education as pivotal to strengthening the GNH base of the countrys education system and the cultural pillar of GNH in particular. This was discussed from two fundamental perspectives: Enhancing study and practice of the arts as separate disciplines, particularly to continue the practice of the 13 traditional arts; and Integrating the arts more effectively into all other disciplines and subject areas to enhance learning in those areas, to bring those subjects to life, and to make the learning experience more vivid than cerebral book learning alone can do. Both these approaches are discussed below: (a) The 13 traditional arts Provocative question in introductory lead-in to this breakout group: Will the 13 traditional Bhutanese arts survive into the next generation? What would be lost if they were to disappear from daily life or preserved only as museum pieces? -> Explanation of both their aesthetic value and also of more profound connections of the arts to ancient wisdom, culture, nature, and contemplative and creative traditions with specific examples of each. It was suggested that Dasho Karma Ura might be excellent person to give a provocative 20-minute introduction on this subject, ending with the question posed to principals: What can Bhutans educational system do to ensure these arts are dynamically preserved and practised, and how can they be effectively integrated into regular curricula? This breakout group recommended that these 13 traditional arts be displayed and performed on two evenings at the principals workshops. As well, traditional Bhutanese music might be played in

different circumstances, like participants entry and exit from plenary sessions, during meals, etc. to bring the atmosphere of the traditional arts into the environment of the principals workshop. (b) Integrating the arts into different disciplines As one example, it was suggested that subjects like math, often considered dry and boring could be made much more vivid and enjoyable through introduction of music, stories, and movement. For example, one educator suggested that a thief stealing things could be used to teach subtraction; and that movement exercises could be used for elementary school children to teach basic arithmetic (adding and subtracting children from different groups in the classroom). One educator suggested that chanting and kinaesthetic movement could be effectively used to teach multiplication tables, and clapping exercises can be used to teach fractions. Similarly, science students can learn about molecules through movement; and students can build visual models like the solar system. Drama can be used to act out historical scenes for example dramatizing the contributions of each King. Stories from the language curriculum could also be acted or presented visually, and folk tales acted out to teach ethics and morals. One school principal noted that his school also uses movement and aesthetic appreciation in relation to nature, allowing times for students to wander aimlessly and silently in natural surroundings and then to bring back an object from nature to which they are particularly attracted. Those objects are then silently arranged by the class into a mandala, which is collectively contemplated. One of the breakout groups suggested specific classroom activities using the arts, some of which have been very successfully used in Bhutan youth assemblies. For example: Creating sculptures and inventions from waste, litter, and recycled/re-used materials; Performing mimes, skits, and tableaux, and inventing dance moves; Writing new lyrics on a GNH theme to existing tunes and songs; Having local healer come to classroom to illustrate healing through movement.

CREATING GNH AMBIENCE AND ATMOSPHERE:

Purpose: Principals and teachers can create learning environments that encourage the natural gracefulness & goodness of all beings. This can be applied to school classrooms, and to the extent possible will be modelled at the principals workshops themselves. Plants Paintings by children on the walls Small rug areas surrounded by books Nature table (table at entry to elementary classroom with graceful arrangements of seasonal natural materials) Photos of natural environment Coloured chalk drawing reflecting seasons Bring the classroom into nature for periods of the day

Other suggested Activities: a) Create space for movement and meditation (move desks to walls) Movement (dance/stretch) Meditation Breathing exercises deeper breathing to release stress, improve focus and relaxation b) As an example of using student artwork to enhance the learning environment, one school principal described his schools use of clay and beeswax activity: Tell a story that reflects natural world. Sculpt characters or forms from story with clay or beeswax Artistic display of the art work

c) Inspire principals (and teachers) to realize they CAN do simple things like these i.e. empower them to go beyond the conventional classroom set-ups to enhance ambience and create warm and welcoming child-friendly learning environments. It was suggested that principals themselves dont need to feel pressured to have all these ideas on aesthetic arrangement themselves nor to make them happen alone. They themselves can empower teachers and students to play an active role in rearranging the learning environment, classroom, and common areas of schools to be aesthetically pleasing) and invite suggestions and active participation from teachers & students on aesthetic arrangement. d) It was suggested that at the principals workshops principals might divide into groups to share existing best practices, and to brainstorm ideas for enhancing the learning ambience, including by subject area.

e) Other areas discussed by this breakout group to create a GNH-infused learning environment included (i) positive disciplining; (ii) improving the physical conditions of toilets, running water, and other basic necessities with emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene (e.g. a rota system for students to clean these facilities); and (iii) addressing specific gender needs: for example, the UNICEF representative remarked: In the country schools, when girls get their periods, they stop coming to school because of the lack of privacy. A second breakout group on creating GNH ambience defined ambience as the human (incl. emotional and spiritual), physical, and ecological environment that all people (students, teachers, administrators, and visitors) experience within and around the school. It was suggested that each school create its own vision statement, which might adapt elements of the broader nationwide Educating for GNH vision statement to its own conditions and circumstances. For example, an elementary school would phrase the vision statement in simple language that all children could easily understand. This vision statement could be beautifully written and framed, and prominently displayed as a constant reminder. This breakout group suggested the following possible format for the principals workshop breakout groups on ambience: 5 minutes silent meditation to arrive in the present moment 1 minute recollection on what you want to achieve in this workshop Visualize your present school and people and environment. Recall childhood memories of your childhood school and list 3 things you liked about your childhood school environment and three things you disliked and would have changed in that environment. Share these childhood likes and dislikes with the person next to you. Share with the group all the positive attributes identified in exercise, and either list these or draw them in a mural (if a graphic artist is present in the group) This would be followed by the group brainstorming an ideal / optimal school ambience that could be created at low cost, with ideas groups into four categories: o human ambience (including emotional, spiritual, participatory) o physical ambience (e.g. cleanliness, structures, classroom arrangement) o ecological ambience o aesthetic ambience Based on this, they could create a check-list or survey to take to teachers, students, and parents in their own schools to assess their present school environment and what the teachers and students would change. This checklist and questions can be shared with the group. (Also: How might parents be engaged in building a more positive ambience?) Following this, the principals can list specific and practical changes they wish to make in their school ambience now and in the future. The breakout group can close with a silent reflection and visualization in which principals imagine their school, people, and environment in the changed situation.

This breakout group also had a more in-depth discussion on human ambience, and suggested that principals might first list ways in which their schools learning environment presently reflects a topdown vs participatory culture, and then consider how they could move towards a more participatory culture, including through changes in school communications, in the psychology of the school administration, and in bringing this more participatory culture into the classroom.

This breakout group also suggested sample questions for discussion among principals in their ambience breakout groups. In reviewing the breakout group recommendations, Steve Mustain suggested that such questions might be the simplest and most useful way of leading principals breakout groups on school ambience: For example, What can I do to beautify my school and its environs at minimal expense? What can I do to encourage and enhance teacher and student creativity in this area? How can the physical surroundings of my school/community be incorporated into the curriculum? What can I do to encourage more participatory activity at all levels in my school, and thus go beyond the conventional passive learning situations? Which television/film characters (if any) do you believe exemplify GNH principles, and how might these be used as models? Which do not? How can my school be a constructive change agent for the surrounding community for example in adopting ecological practices like waste reduction, composting and recycling, organic gardens (already in place in many schools), solar energy, serving locally grown (vs imported) food, using local, sustainably produced materials in school supplies, building inexpensive, ecological compost toilets using sawdust, ashes (Ladakh school model), etc?

CREATING GNH AMBIENCE AND ATMOSPHERE:

Purpose: Principals and teachers can create learning environments that encourage the natural gracefulness & goodness of all beings. This can be applied to school classrooms, and to the extent possible will be modelled at the principals workshops themselves. Plants Paintings by children on the walls Small rug areas surrounded by books Nature table (table at entry to elementary classroom with graceful arrangements of seasonal natural materials) Photos of natural environment Coloured chalk drawing reflecting seasons Bring the classroom into nature for periods of the day

Other suggested Activities: a) Create space for movement and meditation (move desks to walls) Movement (dance/stretch) Meditation Breathing exercises deeper breathing to release stress, improve focus and relaxation b) As an example of using student artwork to enhance the learning environment, one school principal described his schools use of clay and beeswax activity: Tell a story that reflects natural world. Sculpt characters or forms from story with clay or beeswax Artistic display of the art work

c) Inspire principals (and teachers) to realize they CAN do simple things like these i.e. empower them to go beyond the conventional classroom set-ups to enhance ambience and create warm and welcoming child-friendly learning environments. It was suggested that principals themselves dont need to feel pressured to have all these ideas on aesthetic arrangement themselves nor to make them happen alone. They themselves can empower teachers and students to play an active role in rearranging the learning environment, classroom, and common areas of schools to be aesthetically pleasing) and invite suggestions and active participation from teachers & students on aesthetic arrangement. d) It was suggested that at the principals workshops principals might divide into groups to share existing best practices, and to brainstorm ideas for enhancing the learning ambience, including by subject area.

e) Other areas discussed by this breakout group to create a GNH-infused learning environment included (i) positive disciplining; (ii) improving the physical conditions of toilets, running water, and other basic necessities with emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene (e.g. a rota system for students to clean these facilities); and (iii) addressing specific gender needs: for example, the UNICEF representative remarked: In the country schools, when girls get their periods, they stop coming to school because of the lack of privacy. A second breakout group on creating GNH ambience defined ambience as the human (incl. emotional and spiritual), physical, and ecological environment that all people (students, teachers, administrators, and visitors) experience within and around the school. It was suggested that each school create its own vision statement, which might adapt elements of the broader nationwide Educating for GNH vision statement to its own conditions and circumstances. For example, an elementary school would phrase the vision statement in simple language that all children could easily understand. This vision statement could be beautifully written and framed, and prominently displayed as a constant reminder. This breakout group suggested the following possible format for the principals workshop breakout groups on ambience: 5 minutes silent meditation to arrive in the present moment 1 minute recollection on what you want to achieve in this workshop Visualize your present school and people and environment. Recall childhood memories of your childhood school and list 3 things you liked about your childhood school environment and three things you disliked and would have changed in that environment.

 Share these childhood likes and dislikes with the person next to you. Share with the group all the positive attributes identified in exercise, and either list these or draw them in a mural (if a graphic artist is present in the group) This would be followed by the group brainstorming an ideal / optimal school ambience that could be created at low cost, with ideas groups into four categories: o human ambience (including emotional, spiritual, participatory) o physical ambience (e.g. cleanliness, structures, classroom arrangement) o ecological ambience o aesthetic ambience Based on this, they could create a check-list or survey to take to teachers, students, and parents in their own schools to assess their present school environment and what the teachers and students would change. This checklist and questions can be shared with the group. (Also: How might parents be engaged in building a more positive ambience?) Following this, the principals can list specific and practical changes they wish to make in their school ambience now and in the future. The breakout group can close with a silent reflection and visualization in which principals imagine their school, people, and environment in the changed situation. This breakout group also had a more in-depth discussion on human ambience, and suggested that principals might first list ways in which their schools learning environment presently reflects a topdown vs participatory culture, and then consider how they could move towards a more participatory culture, including through changes in school communications, in the psychology of the school administration, and in bringing this more participatory culture into the classroom. This breakout group also suggested sample questions for discussion among principals in their ambience breakout groups. In reviewing the breakout group recommendations, Steve Mustain suggested that such questions might be the simplest and most useful way of leading principals breakout groups on school ambience: For example, What can I do to beautify my school and its environs at minimal expense? What can I do to encourage and enhance teacher and student creativity in this area? How can the physical surroundings of my school/community be incorporated into the curriculum? What can I do to encourage more participatory activity at all levels in my school, and thus go beyond the conventional passive learning situations? Which television/film characters (if any) do you believe exemplify GNH principles, and how might these be used as models? Which do not? How can my school be a constructive change agent for the surrounding community for example in adopting ecological practices like waste reduction, composting and recycling, organic gardens (already in place in many schools), solar energy, serving locally grown (vs imported) food, using local, sustainably produced materials in school supplies, building inexpensive, ecological compost toilets using sawdust, ashes (Ladakh school model), etc?

IN A BROADER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:

It was recognized that learning takes place not only through textbooks and curricular materials but more broadly in families and communities, through the media and a wide range of extra-curricular activities, and through the atmosphere and ambience (both physical and psychological) of school environments. Several breakout groups on Dec. 10 explored how these various dimensions of the broader learning environment might best reflect GNH values and principles.

A GNH School I have heard of children not allowing parents who drive scooters to come to the school parking. They must be taught that what parents have has nothing to do with who he or she is. Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley

Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley called on the Bhutanese educators to wield the torch of GNH values and create enlightened educational campuses that produce children who are ingrained with the values necessary to pursue and achieve happiness. Delivering a keynote address at the workshop on Educating for Gross National happiness, the PM exhorted the principals of educational institutes to use their special capabilities to be an inspiration and role model to students and make their schools a GNH community where values such as altruism, camaraderie, team spirit, faith, honour, dignity and allegiance are practiced. I believe you are the most powerful means through which GNH values can be imbibed in children, he said, speaking past 10 pm to a packed hall at the Teacher Training College in Paro. If we are able to create an enlightened society, it will be because of the teachers, school principals and educators more than anyone else. He allayed concerns expressed in some quarters that GNH in schools would overburden the students by pointing out that the attempt was not to introduce separate subjects but to create a conscious framework within which teachers can infuse, transfer and promote GNH. The GNH values were inherent in Bhutanese; all that was required was a conscious effort to practice it. GNH is simple, he said. It is all about promoting and living with basic human values in a harmonious and sustainable manner. He pointed out that teachers felt they were not responsible for promoting happiness. But if children were the future of society, how they think and act must be shaped. Teachers were the architects of society and all grand designs and ambitions, howsoever good on paper, will dissipate into the thin air if not implemented. The Prime Minister rhetorically asked: Are our children growing up with the right attitude and motivation? Are they equipped morally and spiritually to face the tough world ahead? Will they make a better world and leave a better legacy? Are we doing enough? The truth, he said, was that children both in and out of schools indulge in behaviors that shame us. Values such as dignity, honour and faith were considered obsolete, marriage is no longer sacred, and loyalty, allegiance and devotion to parents and elders no longer existed. But we cannot stay silent. Go beyond. The challenge is to ensure our schools do not produce selfish economic animals motivated only by the desire to succeed at the cost of relationship, environment and society. Most universities, he lamented, were merely dedicated to producing successful and efficient human beings but not in teaching students how to pursue happiness. The prime minister cited ways and means with which GNH values can be ingrained in schools, pillarwise. Schools should be seen as part of the larger community and the child must be taught to serve the community. Principals must see themselves playing a larger role than merely administering schools. Children have to be taught to promote mutual respect and cooperation between the educated, intellectual and the ignorant. Illiteracy and ignorance are not synonymous. Special attention must be given to poor children and orphans in GNH schools. Their needs must be identified and support provided. A teacher must, in fact, go beyond the superficial and try to understand every child. Likewise, every childs health must be monitored and registered because parents even the well to-do ones have no time for their children.

Principals must ensure that every child is in school and help the country achieve 100% enrolment. They should bring back drop-outs, and find out if some are made to work when they should be studying. A GNH school must ensure there is justice and equity in the way the principals deal with teachers and teachers with students. A child must learn agricultural skills so that those who later return to the village can engage in progressive framing. Educators should raise consciousness over the importance of sharing, equity between and among students, the present and the generation to come. A child must be taught to get an idea about what would be left for the next generation at the present level of consumption. Conditions must be created for the children to think, reflect and show concern. Love and care for environment and nature should be imbibed young. Make children appreciate the aesthetic aspect of nature. They must be shown to make beds, plant seeds and bulbs, water the saplings and, in the process, discover for themselves the marvels of nature. Field trips must be encouraged as they provide pleasure as well as knowledge. Aim for zero-polluting and zero-waste schools, the PM said. Schools should have no room for plastics, and bio-degradable wastes should be turned into manures which can be used for school agriculture activities. Papers should be collected, stored and sent for recycling. In the same vein, water is scarce and must be conserved. The idea of adopting water sources and streams is good but the adoption should be all the way from the source right down. Such activities will instill a sense of satisfaction in children and they will desire to protect all the streams and rivers in the country. Educators must also get students to walk to schools, especially in the urban areas, or to use the public transport as it is less taxing to the environment. GNH is more culture driven than any others, the PM said, and went on to define Driglam Namzha as a conscious pursuit of harmonious living. Good thought, good speech and good action and being polite, courteous and respectful not just before high officials or lams beget respect and therefore happiness for oneself. The prime minister said that in the primary schools he visited during the familiarization tours, most children wanted to become doctors, engineers and teachers but not even one expressed his desire to serve his parents, return the love, affection and support he received from them. This illustrates the nature and kind of children we are raising, he said. They were primed to think, compete and succeed in a material world but if you cannot think well of your parents, you are the least likely person to take care of your country. How many of our children say la, lasso to parents? Parents deserve your respect. Age and social hierarchy is important. Nowadays none but a few address their relatives and siblings as Acho, Au, Ata, Ana and, as a result, the sense of affection and care by the elder to the younger a simple GNH - is lost. The essence of every religion, according to the PM, is happiness. While children can recite volumes of prayers they cannot fathom the essence and that is something the teachers must address. Children must learn that material goods do not define their identity. I have heard of children not allowing parents who drive scooters to come to the school parking, the PM said. They must be taught that what parents have has nothing to do with who he or she is.

Educators should teach children not to be show-offs. In fact, rich children should be embarrassed that they have more than the others. Big cars, latest Nike shoes, expensive watches and mobile phones do not make the person owning them better than the one who is wearing mere slippers. Such an environment should be discouraged in schools so that the poorer children do not withdraw from mixing with the rich in the fear that he would be rejected. True wealth, he said, is having more friends not cars -, shoulders to cry on and friends who laugh with you in good times and cry with you in bad times. He emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for children to meditate, contemplate and be mindful and, likewise, the importance of community and relationship building. Teachers should initiate activities requiring teamwork, inter-generational sharing, building bonds, leadership building. He asked the principals to assess their performance against GNH baselines especially in regard to cases of indiscipline, fights, substance abuse and to follow these indicators year after year. On good governance, the PM said the principals should promote participated decision-making and betransparent in all their dealings. Dont be authoritarian. Dont feel elevated. When you become a principal, you become a servant of other teachers. The more arrogant and authoritative you are, the less respect you get. Being respectful to other teachers is not being weak; asking for advice is not being indecisive. He also asked them to make the parent-teacher meetings meaningful, and to be accountable to the teachers and the community. A person who is suspected is not respected. He called on the principals to embark on collaborative projects that lend substance to GNH and its values; to imbibe in students democratic values like electoral process, voting and election in the school campus and lay the foundations of leadership building.