Student Happiness and Subjective Wellbeing in Bhutan: A Case From a Government School in Thimphu, Bhutan

Abstract

The Bhutanese government has enshrined Gross National Happiness (GNH) for decades as a holistic approach to its national development. This framework emphasizes the promotion of happiness alongside diversity and inclusion, and child welfare is understood not as a separate policy domain but as a foundational concern under GNH. Bhutan has enacted and ratified several legal instruments to promote child wellbeing, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Child Care and Protection Act of Bhutan, the Domestic Violence Prevention Act of Bhutan, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 13 December 2006), which Bhutan ratified on14 March 2024. Despite this progressive legal framework, the lived realities of child wellbeing in Bhutan remain underexamined. This study explores student welfare and happiness through a case study of a government inclusive school in Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital. An analysis of data from the Risk and Vulnerability Study and the Student Life Satisfaction Study reveals that while home and school environments can serve as sources of distress for children, schools play a critical role in fostering student self-esteem. The findings further indicate that, as in many other countries, Bhutanese students experience academic pressure; however, GNH-inspired values, particularly the emphasis on “caring for others by virtue of self” appear to promote Bhutanese youth’s self-esteem.