Page 31 - Dechencholing HSS dairy 2023

Dechencholing Higher Secondary School

School Background
Sprawling over a gentle slope of Dechencholing at the sacred lap of guardian
deity Ap Genyen and with the historical Royal Dechencholing Palace,
birthplace of 4th Druk Gyalpo in the south and the Royal Body Guards’ base
in the north, lies the Dechencholing Higher Secondary School. The school
is located about six kilometers north of Thimphu at an elevation of about
2500 metres. The Wangchhu trailing down across the two sacred monasteries,
Tango and Chari, passes just below the school ingeniously breathing fresh and
fragrant air over the entire slope.
The school was initially, established as a primary school in the year 1960,
with a small number of students, primarily to educate the Royal Bodyguard’s
children. To cope with admission pressure and accommodate teeming
numbers, the school was upgraded in 1997 to a Lower Secondary and to a
Middle Secondary in 2010. The year 2015 marked a historic moment as the
school was upgraded to a Higher Secondary hosting humanity and commerce
courses. Today, Dechencholing is the largest Higher Secondary Day School
in the country, with grades ranging from PP to 12, and a total strength of over
1800 students and 80 teachers! The school has started Science stream from
2019 academic session.
The year 2023 heralds yet another symbolic significance in the history of
DHSS as it embarks on the implementation of Bhutan Baccalaureate (BB)
education model, a unique philosophy of education in Bhutan aimed at creating
a just and harmonious society. This model supports five areas of development
namely cerebral, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual. It emphasizes
interdisciplinary learning and the exchange of ideas between different fields.
The road map is a key tool used in the approach, which allows learners to chart
their own course of learning. It also emphasizes on staying locally rooted and
globally competent, drawing upon local culture, traditions, and values while
equipping students with the skills and knowledge. Overall, the BB program
is an innovative and holistic approach to education aimed at developing well-
rounded individuals who can navigate a rapidly changing world.
The school campus stretches approximately over 8.56 acres just overlooking the
highway. The school has won various awards and accolades from the academic
toppers to aesthetic champions. Dechencholing has been a constant source of
inspiration for people of all walks of life and has immensely contributed in
shaping the present and the future of Bhutanese society.

©School Diary, DHSS 2023 སློབ་གྲྭའི་ཉིན་དེབ། སྤྱི་ལོ་༢༠༢༣ ཅན་མ 31