Dzongkha is Bhutan’s national language and is promoted as the service language for official meetings, correspondence, signage and public interaction. English remains central to school education, higher education, science, technology, trade and international communication. The 2024 Dzongkha Curriculum Framework and the 2022 English Curriculum Framework guide school learning, while national assessments measure reading and writing in both languages. National Class 10 and Class 12 examinations generally use English, with Dzongkha treated as the national-language subject. The College of Language and Culture Studies uses Chhoeked and Dzongkha in its examinations, with English excluded from that examination language combination. Formal learning takes place through regular school subjects, university programmes and technical or vocational courses. The College of Language and Culture Studies offers programmes including a four-year BA in Language and Heritage Studies, a three-year BA in Language and Literature, a three-year BA in Bhutan and Himalayan Studies, a four-year BA in Dzongkha and Culture Studies, and a part-time three-year MA in Choekey and Dzongkha. The 2026 Language and Heritage Studies intake required Class 12 completion, at least 50% in both Dzongkha and English, and a Common Entrance Test covering English communication, Dzongkha communication, aptitude and logical reasoning; it listed 25 government-funded places and no self-financed places. The college also provides language and study modules through its virtual learning environment. Technical learning includes Technical Dzongkha at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, covering reading, writing, speaking, listening, orthography, grammar, reading comprehension, official correspondence and oral communication. TTI Khuruthang offers Technical English for professional use at Bhutan Qualifications and Certification Framework level NC2. The reviewed course pages do not state general fees or fixed schedules for these courses. The Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development organises Dzongkha training for civil servants, armed forces and other groups, including Unicode, grammar and official correspondence. The Office of the Attorney General also provides training through its Dzongkha Proficiency Section, and local institutions may organise workshops for specific fields such as film. The Dzongkha Standard Testing System, developed by the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development in 2020, assesses listening, reading, writing and speaking across ten proficiency levels. Its writing assessment includes a 60-minute, 50-mark paper with a 300–400-word communication task and a 500–600-word analytical or expository task. Access depends on the institution or vacancy rather than on a clearly documented open adult certification system. A 2026 test for Royal Civil Service Commission administrative-assistant candidates took place on 25 and 26 March, and a vacancy specified writing level 4 and an overall band of level 5. Dzongkha proficiency can affect public-sector, administrative and legal work. A Royal Civil Service Commission interview rubric assigns separate points for Dzongkha, English and major Bhutanese dialects or languages, but the current requirements depend on the vacancy. Speaking and writing Dzongkha are also legal requirements for naturalisation. These requirements do not establish a general duty for every adult in Bhutan to attend a course or pass a language examination. Chhoeked is mainly relevant to classical-literary and monastic education. Bhutanese Sign Language, or BhSL, is an independent visual-gestural first and teaching language for the Deaf community. The Wangsel Institute for the Deaf provides education from Pre-Primary through Class 12, with BhSL as a subject or first language and with English and Dzongkha adapted to the curriculum. Its app and YouTube materials provide additional digital access. The Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development researches indigenous languages and develops materials, but no nationwide public course or examination system for every minority or heritage language is documented. Foreign-language learning is likewise fragmented and mainly institution-based, with no confirmed nationwide adult provider, uniform proficiency system or national fee tariff. Digital resources include the department’s online dictionary, English–Dzongkha and Dzongkha–English pocket dictionaries, writing and Unicode tools, the College of Language and Culture Studies virtual learning environment, and BhSL learning materials.
Languages in Bhutan
Language learning in Bhutan centres on Dzongkha, the national language, and English, which is central to education, work, science, trade and international communication. Chhoeked, also called Choekey, supports classical-literary and monastic education, while Bhutanese Sign Language serves as a first and teaching language for the Deaf community. Schools, universities, workplaces and digital resources provide different learning options, but Bhutan has no documented nationwide adult course system, standard proficiency scale or common fee schedule.
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