In the 1960s, Bhutan opened its
borders to foreign visitors and the first road system
was built in the 1970s. Television was introduced to
Bhutan in 2000, and now there are a variety of channels
available, most stemming from India and the UK. Through
TV, many Bhutanese are now seeing a glimpse of life in
other countries/cultures. This is especially influencing
the Bhutanese youth, who are attracted to Western music,
styles of dress, etc. As a result, it is not unusual to
see young people rebelling against their national dress
codes to keep up with international fashions.
photo M.
Noonan
There is universal public
education in Bhutan. Children go to school Monday
through Friday, with a half day on Saturday. Children
living in the country often walk an hour or more to
school, crossing rivers and climbing mountains in order
to attend. Druk is the official language of Bhutan, but
very few people can write the language, as its system of
characters is very difficult to master. Instead, English
is taught early on in the school system. So, ironically,
most Bhutanese can read and write English, but not their
own national language.