KINLEY KHANDU CHODEN | Thimphu
The growing dominance of English in our education system, workplaces and digital spaces is raising concerns over the declining use of Dzongkha, particularly among young people.
Although Dzongkha remains Bhutan’s national language, its use in schools is increasingly limited, as most subjects, including science and mathematics, are taught in English. This gives students greater exposure to English while Dzongkha is largely confined to the Dzongkha classroom.
Ugyen Dorji, Chief Language Development Officer of the Dzongkha Development Division (DDD) under the Department of Culture & Dzongkha Development, said the education system is one of the factors contributing to students becoming more accustomed to English.
“Since almost all subjects, including science, mathematics and other subjects, are taught in English, Dzongkha remains limited mainly to one subject,” he said.
He said schools consequently have fewer Dzongkha teachers compared to teachers of other subjects, further limiting students’ exposure to the national language.
The DDD has continued to create awareness about the importance of Dzongkha and has introduced rules and regulations requiring its use in schools.
Students and teachers are encouraged to use Dzongkha alongside English rather than abandoning it.
However, Ugyen Dorji said repeated awareness efforts have not stopped the gradual decline in the use of Dzongkha. The greater use of English means students are increasingly using Dzongkha less, both in speaking and writing.
For 21-year-old student from Norbu Rigter College in Paro, Kuenga Sonam, the challenge is particularly evident when writing in Dzongkha.
“I can speak Dzongkha, but when it comes to writing, I struggle with spelling and finding the right words,” he said.
He said schools should provide students with more opportunities to use Dzongkha in everyday activities rather than restricting its use to the Dzongkha period.
A Dzongkha teacher from Tangmachu HSS in Lhuentse, Gyeltshen, said English has become the main language of communication in schools because most subjects are taught in English.
“Dzongkha is mainly used during the Dzongkha period, so students get much less exposure to it,” he said.
He said awareness alone may not be enough to strengthen the language. Students need regular opportunities to use Dzongkha in conversations, presentations and other school activities.
“If they are given more opportunities to practise, they may gradually become more confident in both speaking and writing,” he said.
The challenge extends beyond schools. The increasing use of English in workplaces and on social media is also influencing how people communicate.
A corporate employee, Ugyen Lhamo 23, said she uses English more often at work and on social media because it is easier to communicate in and because there are many terms for which she does not know the Dzongkha equivalent.
“Sometimes even when I want to write in Dzongkha, I am unsure about the spelling or the correct terminology,” she said.
She believes digital tools, including a reliable dictionary and spelling checker, could make it easier for young people to use Dzongkha online.
Recognising the need for stronger learning resources, the DDD has been providing schools with grammar books, terminology books and dictionaries.
DDC Chief Ugyen Dorji said spoken language alone is not enough to encourage young people to learn Dzongkha. Learners also need access to resources that can help them with grammar, vocabulary and terminology.
The division has also been exploring ways to make Dzongkha learning more engaging through digital platforms.
Over the past two years, DDD has collaborated with Educare to provide Dzongkha learning opportunities. The subscription costs Nu 400 per month, and the department helped cover the fee for students who were interested in learning Dzongkha and registered through the department.
Ugyen Dorji said many teachers and students showed interest in the materials, with some schools continuing to use them. Over the past two years, the department spent nearly Nu 20.00 million on subscriptions to encourage children to learn Dzongkha.
Going forward, students who remain interested in accessing the learning resources can continue to register, although they will have to pay for the subscriptions themselves.
The division is also working to improve the language resources available to Dzongkha users.
One of the key resources is the Golden Dictionary, which is widely used by students, teachers and other Dzongkha users. The division has been updating the dictionary and working on further improvements.
They are also planning to develop a new mobile-based dictionary application. He said an earlier application is no longer functioning, prompting the division to work towards a new and more accessible version.
Spelling remains another significant challenge, particularly as more communication shifts to digital platforms.
The division produces short programmes and broadcasts them through BBS to create awareness about Dzongkha spelling. Ugyen Dorji said the work had started earlier and is continuing.
Unlike English, where spelling errors can often be automatically identified, a similar feature is not yet fully available for Dzongkha.
The division is working towards developing such a system, but he said it would require a large database of words. The existing database is still limited, meaning the system may correctly identify some words while failing to recognise others.
Strengthening Dzongkha, therefore, requires more than encouraging people to speak the language. The written form also needs to be strengthened through an expanded vocabulary and more comprehensive language resources.
Ugyen Dorji said Dzongkha dictionaries and language resources remain limited compared to English. However, he said significant progress has been made, with many new words developed over the years.
The division is also continuing to develop terminology books covering sectors such as education and health.
Despite these efforts, Ugyen Dorji said the long-term future He said the division would continue working to develop and strengthen Dzongkha over the next 10 to 20 years. However, if people increasingly prefer to speak only English and lose interest in Dzongkha, the language could gradually decline.
At the same time, stronger regulations requiring the use of Dzongkha could encourage people to use it more and contribute to its development and preservation.
Parents also have a role to play in maintaining the language.
A homemaker Om, 26 living in Changangkha, said children naturally become more comfortable with English if they hear and use it both at school and at home.
She believes parents should encourage children to speak Dzongkha at home and explain the importance of the national language. However, she said this should not mean discouraging English, which is also important.
“The focus should be on helping children become comfortable with both languages,” she said.
A former Dzongkha teacher 67-year-old Sangay Dorji, the decline is particularly noticeable in written Dzongkha.
He said young people today use Dzongkha less than in the past, especially when communicating through social media. He also pointed to the difficulty of expressing some new terms in Dzongkha.
Sangay Dorji believes the government could introduce stronger measures to encourage the use of the national language. However, he said preservation should not rest solely with the government.
“People themselves need to value and use the language,” he said. “If we stop using it, no number of rules alone can preserve it.”
The concerns surrounding Dzongkha therefore extend beyond the classroom. As English becomes more deeply embedded in education, workplaces and social media, young Bhutanese are encountering fewer situations in which they need to use Dzongkha.
The experiences shared by students, teachers, parents and other members of the public point to the need for greater opportunities to use Dzongkha in everyday life, alongside stronger learning resources and digital tools.
The DDD is continuing to develop vocabulary, dictionaries, terminology and digital resources. But officials and members of the public agree that government efforts alone cannot determine the future of the national language.
Uend on its everyday use. For the language to remain relevant to younger generations, it needs to be used not only in Dzongkha classrooms but also at home, in schools, workplaces and increasingly on the digital platforms where young Bhutanese communicate.
