“The future is neither unseen nor unknown. It is what we make of it. What work we do with our two hands today will shape the future of our nation. Our children’s tomorrow has to be created by us today.”
His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Coronation Address, 7th November 2008
About Druk Gyalpo’s Institute
The Druk Gyalpo’s Institute is a visionary initiative of His Majesty the King conceived as an enduring tribute to the unparalleled leadership and the rich legacy of His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.
The overall objective of establishing the Druk Gyalpo’s Institute underscores His Majesty’s recognition of the critical role of education in empowering the lives of our people and enriching society by nurturing successive generations of leaders, narrowing emerging economic and social disparities, and building a strong, secure and prosperous nation.
We are a non-profit autonomous body to develop and disseminate world class knowledge and skills for teaching, learning and education research. The Druk Gyalpo’s Institute consist of three bodies: The Royal Academy, The Education Research Centre and The Teacher Development Centre.
EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTRE
The Education Research Centre's (ERC) objective is to constantly pursue the development of the Bhutan Baccalaureate such that it is an ever-evolving system of education. Central to this effort is the incorporation of findings and inputs from the Teacher Development Centre and The Royal Academy, alongside collaboration with other national and international organisations. Through this combined engagement, the ERC leads the Institute’s Research and Development activities in a broad sense.
Druk Gyalpo’s Institute
THE ROYAL ACADEMY
The Royal Academy (TRA) is a co-educational, residential school with students from Grades 7 to 12. The objective of The Royal Academy is to stand out as a school of excellence, offering high-quality, wholistic education to its students, particularly those from the marginalised sections of society. The Royal Academy aims to create a student community that is balanced and diverse in terms of national character and cultural experience and has representation from all 20 Dzongkhags of Bhutan.
TEACHER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
The Teacher Development Centre (TDC) focuses on the development and administration of well-designed and customised teacher training and educational programmes. A central focus of the TDC is to support teachers in internalising and implementing the Bhutan Baccalaureate Learning Process. To this end, it designs and conducts contextualised programmes that vary in content and duration, tailored to the specific needs of each cohort. The TDC is at the forefront of transitioning the Bhutan Baccalaureate into schools under Bhutan’s Ministry of Education and Skills Development and the Colleges of Education.
Bhutan Baccalaureate
In order to develop constructive, contributory citizens of a just and harmonious society, the Bhutan Baccalaureate sees education as a 'wholistic' process that extends far beyond the mere acquisition of knowledge. It is a model of education that takes into account a more rounded and wholesome understanding of the learning process. The Bhutan Baccalaureate strives to break down the silos in schooling and ensure the development of a learner in the cerebral as well as in the emotional, physical, social and spiritual realms. These Five Areas of Development form the basis of the Bhutan Baccalaureate’s ever-evolving curriculum in which each area is recognized as an integral part of a child’s overall development. Here, by the term ‘curriculum’, we mean the totality of a learner’s experience in the context of the school, both inside and outside the classroom.
Milestones
January, 2011: A Vision Unveiled
Royal Command to establish The Royal Academy
November 2022 - September 2024: Various initiatives of DGI
In November 2022, DGI and MoESD launched the HRH Gyalsey Annual Mathematics Award. In July 2023, DGI collaborated with the Fab Foundation to design and conduct a workshop on the ‘wholistic’ development of learners during the FAB23 event. A joint curriculum was designed that integrated the Bhutan Baccalaureate Curriculum and the Thrive Curriculum. In August 2023, DGI became part of the OECD Schools+ Network. In February 2024, DGI and Fab Academy collaborate to launch the Fab Academy programme at the DGI Fab Lab. In September 2024, Bhutan Baccalaureate Learning Process and Curriculum to be reviewed by a team of external experts. This review was completed by the beginning of 2025.
July/August 2011: Approval of the site at Pangbisa.
Development of Architectural brief for the Academy Project.
January - March 2016: First Batch of Students of The Royal Academy
In January 2016, a Winter Camp for the selection of the first batch of students in Thimphu was organized. By March 2016, The Royal Academy academic year officially began with the first batch of 60 students at the old campus in Pangbisa.
September 2020: Literature Review of the Bhutan Baccalaureate
A review was conducted by The Department of Education, University of Oxford in the year 2020 on the Bhutan Baccalaureate . The report is titled Contextualising the Bhutan Baccalaureate within the International Research Literature and it looked at whether there is space for the Bhutan Baccalaureate within the international education space, with the answer was a very definitive ‘yes’!
The report of the Literature Review can be found here.
August 2022: Graduation Ceremony for the First Batch of students of The Royal Academy
On 9th of August, 2022, His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo graced the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021. He addressed the audience and awarded the Bhutan Baccalaureate Diploma to the students of the graduating class. The Class of 2021 is the first graduating class of The Royal Academy and the graduation ceremony marked a significant milestone for the Druk Gyalpo’s Institute.
2025
From 6-13 April, DGI hosted the Global Connections workshop at the Dungkar Dzong. On April 28th, Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand visited the Druk Gyalpo’s Institute, Dungkar Dzong.
From July 1-5th, DGI hosted the South Asian Science Education Programme (SASEP) in collaboration with Life Lab Foundation and CERN, Switzerland. Coinciding with the SASEP, on July 4th, His Majesty The King graced the launch of the Bhutan Baccalaureate at the Druk Gyalpo’s Institute. During the Royal Visit, His Majesty the King also met with the participants of the South Asia Science Education Programme (SASEP) at the DGI. This event brought together over 78 science teachers from Bhutan and other South Asian countries. The sessions were conducted by leading scientists and educators from across the world including CERN and the University of Oxford.
July 2013 - December 2015: Establishment of the ERC & TDC
From July 2013 - December 2015, The Royal Academy Curriculum was being developed. Alongside this development, the TDC was established in Dop Shari, Paro and the first batch of teachers of The Royal Academy were recruited. The first batch of teachers underwent a 15 month long teacher development programme from October 2014 - December 2015. By December 2013, construction of the campus commenced in Pangbisa.
September 2017 - December 2018: Recognition of the Five Areas of Development
HundrED, Finland, recognises the Learning Process and Curriculum of The Royal Academy as one of the top 100 innovations in education. The Five Areas of Development has since been featured as one of HundrED’s top 100 innovations in education from 2018-2021. To view this, click this link here to access HundrED’s website. By December 2018, The Learning Process and Curriculum of The Royal Academy becomes the Bhutan Baccalaureate Learning Process and Curriculum.
February 2020 - September 2021: Moving to the new campus, Royal Charter for Druk Gyalpo’s Institute and collaboration with the MoE
In February 2020, the students and faculty of The Royal Academy moved to the New Campus. In February 2021, The Royal Academy signed an MoU with the Ministry of Education (then known as MoE) to transition the Bhutan Baccalaureate to Dechencholing HSS and Wangbama CS. In August 2021, a revised MoU was signed between TRA and MoE for a total of 22 schools. On 8th September, 2021, His Majesty the King grants the Royal Charter for Druk Gyalpo’s Institute at the Tashicho Dzong.
Latest News
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Bhutan Baccalaureate 4th Learning Showcase
27-28 August, 2025