Teachers' teacher talks about Bhutan

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 228, 26 January 1988, Page 4

Teachers' teacher talks about Bhutan

The small remote Himilayan kingdom of Bhutan, nestled between China and India, will be homc for Ohakune identity Bill Taylor when he leaves in March for two years voluntary service abroad. The former teacher-turned children's story writer and Ohakune's Mayor is bound for Gaylegphug (pronounced Ga-lek-fu) in the south of Bhutan - a Bhuddist community. Gaylegphug has five separate languages and is virtually untouched by outside influences. Bhutan is just half the size of the North Island with a population of one million. Mr Taylor is one in a task force of international volunteers involved in a massive effort to raise the level of health and education of the country which is unable to afford training large numbers of teachers, hence large numbers of the present teaching staff are untrained. Education is available to only 20 percent of the population as transport is limited and distances great. Mr Taylor will initially be assigned to a school of 800 children but will be concentrating on the education of teachers. Located at the base of the Himilayas and on the border of India, Gaylegphug is a "melting pot" of Bhutanesc, Indian and Nepalese culturcs, according to Mr Taylor. Due to its geographical isolation, tourism is minimal and is n o t encouraged by the Government. "The King is dctermincd that the country retain its

own culture and religion at all costs," said Mr Taylor. His family and friends are freely able to visit the country while he is posted there. Communication to the country he had never heard of three months ago, is also limited, with radio but no television. Mr Taylor has been provided with a flat on the top floor of a three storey building overlooking the marketplace, bazaar and Indian cinema and close to his school. He is unsure how long he will be stationed in Gaylegphug but considers it likely that he will be working in other parts of the country. Mr Taylor said he forsees his job as being very hard work. Bhutan schools have a 10 month term with schooling six days a week. Mr Taylor hopes to travel during the two month holiday period. Mr Taylor toured south ern India around 20 years ago and said he is keen to see some of the north. He is required to have a basic command of Nepalese and has been reading as much material as possible about the country. Mr Taylor expressed apprehension at fulfilling the requiremenls of the position but said that the opportunity has already opcned a numbcr of doors for him. Two items of luggage taking precedcnce are his camera and typewriter, as wcll as an assortment o f teaching aids that include correspondcnce school material and a full range of junior school malerials. Mr Taylor said he is counting on his two top publishcrs - Rccd Mcthuen and Ashton Scholastics, to be "very

generous" with the donation of further materials. Mr Taylor said he has no plans to write further books while in Bhutan but maintains he will definitely be keeping a diary of events. Mr Taylor gave up teaching full time at the beginning of 1986 after 25 years and concentrated on pursuing an alternative carcer as a full time children's story writer. In a short space of time h e produced a string of books aimed at both sexes in the 11-14 year age group. Now with nine fictional novels to his credit - two due out this year, and another he is currently working on 'William Taylor' has firmly established a name as a top writer whose appeal reaches farther than the intermediate age group he intended. On the day the Bulletin visited Mr Taylor, he had received his first paper back edition of 'My Sum-

mer Of The Lions , now out in Penguin paperback. His other titles will shortly follow and will appear in paperback over the next three years. Mr Taylor told the Bulletin that the German and French rights to his books had also been sold, of which he was notified during the weekend. Mr Taylor, in his third term as Mayor, considers now to be the optimum time to retire from local politics and is not a candidate in the pending District Council elections. However Mr T aylor is not ruling out the possibility of re-entering local government when he retums to the Waimarino in 1989. Mr Taylor said he is looking forward to more privacy after seven years of being in the public eye. He is also content to concentrate more on writing. "My commitment to the Mayoralty has not always been easy while writing," he said.