On the eve of its 5th graduation, Royal Thimphu College has become the first accredited college in the country. Approximately seven years after opening as the first private undergraduate college in Bhutan, Royal Thimphu College has been accredited by the Bhutan Accreditation Council (BAC), receiving its highest grade, an A+.
The accreditation process involved RTC’s submission of a lengthy and detailed report on its activities and accomplishments for the accreditation team’s use as well as a four-day visit by the team to the College during which it observed classes, met with the management, faculty members and staff, inspected the infrastructure, talked with students, and scrutinized a voluminous set of documents supporting the report as well as providing additional information on all aspects of the College’s functioning and achievements.
Bhutan’s Tertiary Education Policy (2010) called for the establishment of the BAC as an autonomous institution serving as the national authority to enhance and ensure the quality of public, private and professional tertiary education in the Kingdom. Accreditation is a tool used around the world to assure quality as well as to protect the public by providing valuable information about the quality of educational institutions. Consistent with international practice, the BAC’s accreditation process is a detailed independent assessment of an educational institution’s curriculum, infrastructure and learning resources, governance, research and institutional linkages, student services, and internal quality assurance system. The accreditation process also includes issues such as the quality of the institution’s faculty and the effectiveness of the education provided to the institution’s students as indicated by such things as their performance on national exams, their placement in jobs, and other forms of external recognition achieved.
RTC is pleased that the result, a grade of A+, reflects the hard work and dedication that have gone into its constant efforts towards achieving its vision of “Inspiring education in Bhutan." Just a day after the BAC awarded its certificate to the RTC, the College will proudly celebrate its 5th graduation on Thursday, June 30th, with 265 students receiving their provisional completion certificates from the Chief Guest, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bhutan, Lyonpo Tshering Wangchuk. The event will also be blessed by the presence of the Ven. Tsulag Lopen of the Central Monastic Body, and attended by invited dignitaries, parents, and the RTC management and faculty.