Background:
Higher Education Planning Division is one of the divisions under Department of Adult and Higher Education with a mandate to develop policy, rules and regulation and guidelines to set the long-term visions and key strategies.
Mandates:
The mandates of Higher Education Planning Division are:
- Develop policies and guidelines for the growth and development of tertiary education system in the country.
- Develop implementation plan for the tertiary education policy.
- Facilitate and monitor establishment of universities/ colleges/ institutes for providing enhanced choices of tertiary education within the country.
- Serve as information repository for tertiary education.
- Implement Student Loan Scheme for Tertiary Education (SLSTE).
- Execute higher education activities related to SAARC.
Major achievements of the division:
- Developed Tertiary Education Policy of the Kingdom of Bhutan, 2010.
- Revised Rules & Regulations for the Establishment of Colleges, 2012.
- Printed Funding & Financial Mechanism for Tertiary Education, 2013.
- Developed Tertiary Education Roadmap for Bhutan: 2017-2027.
- Conducted 13 meetings of Tertiary Education Board.
- Facilitated loans to the students to pursue Student Loan Scheme for Tertiary Education.
- Developed draft Guidelines for the Establishment of Universities and Autonomous Institutes.
- Published State of Tertiary Education on annual basis.
- Facilitated and provided final approval to 4 colleges (3 Public and 1 private).
- In-principle approval accorded to 1 private college at Phaduna, Punakha (under construction).
- Developed Tertiary Education Statistics system (TESS) to capture data on tertiary education.
Services provided:
- Facilitated and monitor establishment of universities / colleges/ institutes for providing choices of tertiary education within the country.
- Visited all the HSS to sensitize on loan scheme and other opportunities on higher education.
- Provide information on higher education to parents and students.