Arts and Humanities continues to develop strong partnership with Bhutan: An exciting time for SAH

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Arts and Humanities continues to develop strong partnership with Bhutan: An exciting time for SAH

Monday, 09 October 2023

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Edith Cowan University (ECU) has been a first choice for many Bhutanese students over the years, thanks to ECU’s long-standing commitment, connections and collaboration in the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan.

The resigning of a MOU on the Wednesday, 13 September 2023, by the respective Vice Chancellors from ECU and the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), has strengthened SAH’s collaboration with Samtse College of Education, with whom we have been collaborating with since 2017. This year 10 SAH students participated in a Community Work and Cultural Development study tour program, funded under National Colombo Plan (NCP), at Samtse College of Education from Sunday, 17 September to Wednesday, 4 October with Associate Professor Vicki Banham and Dr Sonam Pelden. The ECU students were buddied with Samtse students and participated daily in classes and worked with their buddy on undertaking a small project which they delivered to the President Dr Rinchen Dorji. They also visited local communities, both rural and metropolitan, to gain a better understanding of the importance of community in people’s daily lives.

The program was visited by Mr Lobzang Nima, Chief External Relations Officer of the Vice Chancellor, RUB who stated this successful program was well delivered by both institutions and encouraged it to continue. As SAH has funding for 2024 we hope to continue this successful program. We have also initiated a research study with our counterpart Associate Professor Sonam Rinchen, Dean of Research and Industrial Linkages to understand the extent of knowledge transfer and learnings that can take place, during and post program. Associate Professor Vicki Banham delivered a workshop to all Faculty staff on research and research supervision and encouraged collaborative research undertakings. Dr Sonam Pelden delivered sessions to students in the counselling course and to counselling staff assisting them in their program development. Further collaborations are in the process of negotiation.

On Thursday, 14 September a MOU was signed with ECU, by Her Majesty the Queen Mother Sangay Choden Wangchuck with RENEW (Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women) which is Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s flagship program, empowering disadvantaged women and adolescents across Bhutan. A SAH team of Associate Professor Vicki Banham, Dr Sonam Pelden and Ms Karen Anderson has been working with Madam Tshering Dolkar, Executive Director of RENEW for many years developing and delivering unique and culturally context counselling supervision course/s for all counsellors across Bhutan. SAH is further developing this relationship through the awarding of three Master of Counselling & Psychotherapy scholarships, Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck Scholarship, over three years to selected recipients, approved by Her Majesty The Queen Mother, the first commencing in 2024. Further collaborations are in the process of negotiation.

SAH is also developing a relationship with Department of Public Health and Allied Health Sciences, Clinical Counselling Program, in Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan. The team leader of the program is commencing her PhD with SAH on campus this year.

School of Arts and Humanities