L for Lopon or Legjarwa or legshepa (Dzongkha language teacher/lecturer/professor)

WHAT CAN I BECOME Language, technically, is the best method of human communication, be it spoken or written.  It’s perhaps too the best mode of “self expression”.

For a country, with its national language as Dzongkha, having a good grasp of it will take you far and wide.  Which means, if you are a person teaching it, you are teaching them a whole lot?

By learning all those Buddhist philosophy and Dzongkha language you become a good human being where you are taught the Buddhist precepts and human values like Ten Virtue, boddhicitta and etc. Learning  

Who can become a Lopon?
-Someone with good knowledge and command over language, of course.  But, being bilingual,     

  English preferred as the other language, is an added bonus
-To impart the knowledge, one should enjoy teaching and have interest in the field
-Patience and dedication, qualities one should possess while embracing the teaching career

Qualification
-A minimum qualification of Class XII is required to get enrolled in one of the teacher training colleges in the country
-One should have good marks in Dzongkha to specialize in teaching the language
-Bachelor’s degree or Master  in any field with good background knowledge in Dzongkha

-B.Ed in Dzongkha.

Where to study?
-Much emphasis on the language can be given if studied in the Institute of Language and Culture

  Studies, Royal University of Bhutan, Taktse, Trongsa, in the country
-Buddhist Institutes, Centre’s and Colleges or Universities in the country and outside, especially      

  India and Nepal.

-B.Ed in Dzongkha, Paro college of Education.

Challenges

-Making students and others to grow their interest towards language
-Introducing and making students like the language
-At a time, when many view the language secondary to English, onus falls on teachers to make it

  relevant

-Usage of Dzongkha in carrying out office work and other area

Market
-Dzongkha language teachers are much in demand, both in private and government Organization   

  like land commission, RCSE, DDC, other Sectors, NGO , Schools and Universities.
-A Dzongkha Lopen earns from Nu 13,000 a month to Nu 80,000, depending on their working    

  experience.

I am proud to be lopen or Legjarwa(lecturer) I watched my friends graduate from high school and taking up fancy courses in colleges but for me I kept it simple although I qualified for science with eighty three percent. I got enrolled at the Institute of Language and Culture Studies in Semtokha in 2006 after completing Class X, studied Buddhist philosophy, translation, Medicine, Logic, History and Bhutanese literature.  Since then I developed liking for the subjects, which are done in Dzongkha. I went on to become a Dzongkha Lecturer when I graduated in 2011. I am always fancied by the teaching profession and I loved the language. But it is not plain sailing for Dzongkha teachers today. In times like today, children are more into English than Dzongkha as of my knowledge. They’d understand English almost instantly, but it takes more than five times the effort to make them understand a word in Dzongkha. Knowing both the languages and being able to communicate in the right way was the possible way out, I think. Being a Dzongkha Lopen, it was my moral responsibility to encourage student to learn the language and keep their interest alive because Dzongkha is equally important. It is important for language teachers to be prepared to teach students of all ages and standards. Student find Dzongkha very difficult to learn, so it’s important for us to teach them the way they can understand. But despite the challenges, I love teaching and the language did not dip me at all.  In fact, at every step I discovered new things or learned new things. My greatest satisfaction is in seeing those students, who couldn’t perform well in Dzongkha, obtain good marks at the end of the year. I handle more than 150 students in the school and to see student having good knowledge over Dzongkha is a huge accomplishment for me. I was born to be teacher and I love to be teacher and teaching them. Teaching profession for me is, as learning is a two-way process, I want to learn myself while teaching others.