Dear 9th Batch of Graduating Students,

Congratulations on your hard work and dedication towards bringing your studies here at Royal Thimphu College to a successful conclusion! It has been a significant journey in your life, shared by your tutors, friends and classmates, and your families. I am greatly pleased to have been present here with you for at least the last half of your time here.

Typically, we would have been deep in preparations for your graduation day right after the conclusion of your final exams. As you know, the plans have had to be put on hold due to the current pandemic situation that requires a responsible ‘whole-of-nation’ approach with an abundance of precaution, including avoiding any mass gatherings. To go ahead anyway would have been to hold a very basic and brief event without any guests or proper ceremony befitting the momentous occasion. Therefore, the College felt it would be more appropriate to wait and invite you all back in the future when we can hold a more suitable event for you and it is safer to do so.

Thank you all for your cooperation these past few months. We all had to adapt very quickly, but it was gratifying that we could count on especially our final-year students to be properly responsive to the situation and take full ownership and responsibility for their learning. This has undoubtedly made the difficult situation more manageable for everyone as we tried to uphold the academic credibility of your degree studies. I also want to acknowledge all the tutors and our staff across the different departments that came together to help ensure we could keep moving forward. Please do take these lessons of resilience, adaptability, and personal responsibility ahead with you as you move ahead with your endeavors.

The respective college departments will continue to have further important correspondence with you to ensure you have everything you need for your next steps beyond RTC. Please stay responsive to these notices in the near future.

As you commence another chapter of your lives, may I remind each of you, to stay on the progressive path of personal development, by living a life of integrity, mindfulness and conscience - seek time to refine your personal mission. Keep making us proud. 

Once again, on behalf of the whole RTC community, Tashi Delek!

With best wishes,

Tshewang Tandin, President