The Bhutan Qualifications and Professionals Certification Authority (BQPCA) conducted an interactive orientation session for about 450 pre-service teacher trainees and faculty members of the Samtse College of Education.
The session introduced trainees to the Teaching Professional Council (TPC), established under the Civil Service Reform Act 2022, and its role in strengthening the teaching profession through professional standards, registration, certification, Continuous Professional Development (CPD), professional conduct and ethics, and career progression.
A key focus of the session was the need for a paradigm shift from simply βgetting a teaching jobβ to βbecoming a teaching professional.β Participants were encouraged to view teaching not merely as employment, but as a profession that requires demonstrated competence, ethical conduct, accountability, and continuous professional growth throughout oneβs career.
The presentation also highlighted the Bhutan Professional Standards for Teachers (BPST) and the emerging professional framework being developed by the TPC. Trainees were guided on how their academic preparation, teaching practicum, professional engagement, and conduct contribute to developing the knowledge, skills, values, and professional identity expected of a teaching professional.
One of the key questions raised during the session was why an additional professional assessment may be required after completing four years of teacher education and training.
Responding to the query, Dr. Ugyen Tshewang, Director of BQPCA, explained that graduation from a teacher education institution provides an academic qualification, while professional registration and certification are intended to ensure that individuals meet the standards expected of the teaching profession before being recognised as certified and registered teachers.
He noted that academic qualifications prepare individuals for entry into the profession, while professional registration, certification, and CPD support professional accountability, competency, and lifelong learning. Similar professional regulatory frameworks are widely adopted internationally to strengthen professional standards and public confidence in the profession.
The session was facilitated by Dr. Ugyen Tshewang and Mr. Tashi Dendup, Deputy Chief Programme Officer of the Teaching Professional Council, who actively engaged with the trainees, responded to questions, and clarified various aspects of professional registration, certification, professional standards, and career progression.
The interactive session provided an important platform for trainees to better understand the connection between pre-service preparation, professional registration, certification, continuous professional development, and long-term professional growth.
BQPCA extends its appreciation to the management, faculty members, student leaders, and trainees of the Samtse College of Education for their active participation and engagement. Through such interactions, BQPCA seeks to build early awareness of professional expectations and encourage future teachers to begin developing their professional identity during pre-service education, thereby strengthening the foundation for a competent, ethical, and continuously growing teaching profession in Bhutan.
