A road engineer, public servant and teacher are The University of Queensland’s first students from Bhutan.
Bhutan is a small country of about 700,000 people squeezed between China and India which takes in the Great Himalaya Range.
The three students, Singay Dorji, Phuntsho Norbu and Kencho Wangmo, are studying at UQ under scholarships from the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Federal Government.
They are the first UQ students from Bhutan, according to UQ’s International Educational Directorate records.
This is the their first time to Australia with the St Lucia campus having a similar population as Bhutan’s capital city, Thimphu.
Mr Norbu, 27, is studying a master of international studies in peace and conflict resolution to further his career with Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said Australia and Bhutan were culturally very different but Bhutan was opening up to new cultural and religious ideals.
“Students are more spoon fed in Bhutan but UQ encourages students to learn more, to be more individual,” Mr Norbu said.
“I like it here. I have a lot of friends from around the world.”
Ms Wangmo, a 28-year-old school teacher who is finishing a Graduate Diploma of Science before her Masters, said she liked UQ’s teaching style.
“It’s more independent learning over here. You tend to be more innovative,” Ms Wangmo said.
She said her UQ teachers were open and casual compared to strict learning in Bhutan.
Mr Dorji, 30, who is studying a master of engineering, said UQ had a good reputation for research degrees and it was the only university that offered the subjects he wanted.
“UQ not only has excellent teachers, the teaching method is one of the best I have seen,” Mr Dorji said.
“I believe UQ is a good university for enhancing your professional career and I hope more people from my country come here to make the best use of what UQ has to offer.
Having adjusted to Brisbane life, the group is now planning a trip to Cairns on the Tilt Train.
“We don’t have trains in Bhutan,” Mr Norbu said.
For more information contact Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (phone: 3365 2619, email: m.holland@uq.edu.au)
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