Conditions of Happiness: An Evaluation of Bhutan’s Initiative to Educate for Gross National Happiness

Bhutan is the only country in the world to recognize Gross National Happiness (GNH) as its overarching developmental philosophy. The nationwide implementation of the Educating for GNH Initiative (EGNHI) is recognized as one of the most comprehensive attempts to operationalize GNH in schools in Bhutan. The purpose of this study is to examine how the initiative is implemented in order to better understand the concept of educating for GNH and its implications for teachers and students. Qualitative analyses of government documents and teacher responses to an open-ended questionnaire
collected via email reveals a general disconnect between what is recommended in the documents and the needs of teachers and students in the classrooms. To address this concern, I propose the application of the concept of freedom as expressed in Buddhist philosophy and Amartya Sen’s capability approach theory to the EGNHI. Such an approach may provide a cogent justification for how the purpose and implications of the EGNHI could be enhanced in Bhutan to provide the type of education that would enable all individuals to develop to the best of their capabilities to achieve their well-being and happiness.