Paying it forward

Published 10 December 2019

Margaret Brooks is unlikely to ever forget her first visit to Bhutan, in 2007. "It was a scoping study and we were driven all over the place on roads that were literally bulldozed tracks, to the top of vertical mountains," she says. "Atop one we found this tiny school run by a husband and wife, who had about 20 children from grades 1-6. They were doing amazing work, having undergone some training at UNE, and there, in the middle of nowhere, I met the Bhutanese Minister of Education. We sat down and talked about early childhood education and what might be possible."

In the years since, Margaret has visited Bhutan numerous times - often at her own expense and during annual holidays - to continue learning about its culture, develop and implement teaching courses, launch a demonstration preschool, and mentor teachers/ "I have had to learn what Gross National Happiness means and to infuse it into everything we do," she says.

Having only opened to the world in 1970, Bhutan's network of schools is still in its infancy, and formal early childhood education is a relatively recent phenomenon. However, the government hopes to open several hundred preschools and achieve full occupancy by 2030.

"The Bhutanese are playing a really big catch-up game and there is much to be done," Margaret says. "But it's important to me that customs are respected; I didn't want to come in from the outside and impose anything. I've made an effort to take part in Bhutanese rituals, aware that we are dealing with entire families and centuries-old traditions, no just children."

But it's been far from easy going. "The geography remains a major challenge," Margaret says. "A lot of Bhutan is inaccessible. Sometimes you have to walk four days to get to a village because there are no roads. Access to educational supplies is therefore difficult. The majority of teachers are given 10 days' training and then asked to set up a preschool with limited or no materials."

Margaret designed the fit-out of the demonstration preschool at the Paro College of Education herself, with the help of her engineer husband Mike, and the Rinpung Centre for Childhood Studies received its first intake of 24 children in April 2018. She has been in weekly (and sometimes daily) communication with its three teachers ever since, guiding them through the early days of operation, and Rinpung is already being used to train other teachers of 3-6-year-olds.

But isolation from the outside world has its advantages. Teachers have typically had little exposure to methods used elsewhere, so Margaret is busy fundraising to bring Rinpung's teachers to Australia and New Zealand for a two-week study tour in February. "I would also like to find some donors prepared to cover the annual costs for children from poorer families to attend the centre," she says.

Although 69 years old and looking to retire, Margaret acknowledges she's unlikely ever to completely let this "baby" go. "Doing the concept note for the demonstration preschool was like handing over a baby; I wanted to know that it was going to be brought up okay," she says. "It's a privilege to be nurturing its first baby steps. It's quite remarkable what the teachers have achieved in a small space of time and the the Bhutanese people are appreciative of anything you do, which is very seductive."

She's found much to be grateful for, too. "I am not a particularly confident person, but my work in Bhutan has boosted my confidence, which is a great gift," Margaret says.

"Just watching these teachers grow has been a pleasure, and I'm learning all the time about the differences that culture can make to education. Some of the friends I've made in Bhutan are now really important to me. It makes my life worth living, really."

And in a country with an index to measure the collective happiness and wellbeing of its population (Gross National Happiness), Margaret says she has learnt a great deal from Buddhist philosophy, especially the notion that the merit you gain in this life carries into the afterlife.

"Happiness in Bhutan is not a fleeting 'feel good' emotion but something deeper that comes from having a positive attitude to life, your mindfulness and compassion for others," she says. "It's not something that can be pursued, but it is a by-product. The deep satisfaction that comes from focusing on the wellbeing of others creates a more authentic form of happiness.

"In Bhutan, this care for one another is the glue that holds society together. Social cohesion and community support are also important aspects of happiness, and I am always impressed by how this works to create a safer, kinder and more caring society. There is much Bhutan still has to teach me about living life the best I can."

To support the Bhutanese teachers' study tour, go to Margaret's GoFundMe page.

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