Bhutan’s non-formal and continuing education program of the Department of Adult and Higher Education has been awarded the 2012 UNESCO International Literacy Price.
Bhutan and Colombia will receive the UNESCO Confucius Prize for literacy that was started in 2005 by the Chinese government worth US $ 20,000. The recognition comes at a time when the country is celebrating its 100 years of modern education journey.The awards will be given next month at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, as part of the International Literacy Day celebrations observed every year on September 8.
Bhutan today has over 900 NFE centres across the country. The program sees an enrollment of about 13,000 learners every year
Non Formal Education program was first initiated by the national women’s association of Bhutan to empower women in rural areas, and later taken over by the ministry of education under its department of adult and higher education.