Bhutan: Phuentsholing Thromde opens its first public ECCD centre

Thimphu [Bhutan], October 22 : The opening of the municipality's first Early Childhood Care and Development Centre has been warmly welcomed by the people in Phuentsholing Thromde, Bhutan Live reported.
It is expected to benefit the children of low-income groups. So far, there have been no public ECCD centres in Phuentshogling Thromde. The facility built at a cost of Nu 5.5 M called the Phendey Early Childhood Care and Development Centre was inaugurated on Thursday.
It took nearly five years for the Thromde office to come up with the new ECCD. Firstly, the work was interrupted by the pandemic and then facilitators were not available.
But today, as the ECCD opened and the parents are happy as their children can also go to the ECCD like any other children, Bhutan Live reported.
Chimmi, who is a parent said, "We cannot afford to send our children to private daycare centres. We have to keep our children at home and these days, children are so much into mobile phones. With such facilities, our children can learn a lot and we are so happy."
"We are not able to send our children to private daycare centres, so today we are extremely grateful for getting such an opportunity. We usually keep our children home and this way, I feel they can get spoilt as they are always into mobile phones. It also affects their eyes," Bhutan Live quoted Kinzang Dhendup, another parent as saying.
Namgay Zam, a parent said, "Today, I feel so blessed to have got this opportunity. Children do not learn much at home. In centres like this, they can learn a lot through their interaction with their friends. Also by enrolling in the ECCD, they can acquire a lot of basic life skills."
According to Thromde officials, there were nearly two hundred applicants out of which they could take only about 70 children.
"There are many low-income people in the Thromde area. Those who can afford to send their children to private ECCDs but those who cannot afford to leave their children at home. For the progress of the nation, we should be able to provide equal opportunities to all children. So, while enrolling the children here, we did it very carefully so that the private centres are not affected and at the same time, the needy ones get the opportunity. We targeted children of those parents who are earning less than 10,000 ngultrum a month," Bhutan Live quoted Uttar Kumar Rai, the Phuentshogling Thrompon as saying.
He added that although they can take in some additional children, they will need more facilitators. Today, there are only three facilitators.
Meanwhile, the Thromde office is exploring the possibility of establishing more such facilities in a Public-Private Partnership model.