What genuinely saddens me is watching young Bhutanese carry the burden of debating one of the most controversial and painful periods of our country’s history ONLINE, often with limited access to historical sources, archives, or balanced education. They are expected to defend or explain events they neither witnessed nor participated in.

Many of us grew up believing Bhutan was a uniquely peaceful nation, celebrated internationally for its happiness, stability, and harmony. Then, years later, BAM! we encountered accounts of the Lhotshampa expulsions and allegations of ethnic cleansing.

Reconciling those two narratives is not a simple; it is deeply unsettling. It forces an entire generation to question what it was taught, what was omitted, and why.

Most young adults are not arguing in bad faith. They are trying to make sense of history using the fragments available to them from school lessons, official narratives, family stories, and whatever documents they can find. It is unreasonable to expect them to possess the depth of knowledge that historians, policymakers, or those who directly experienced those events have.

Perhaps the greatest disservice was not simply what was taught, but what was left unsaid. When difficult chapters of history are avoided rather than examined, younger generations inevitably inherit the responsibility of confronting them in the most polarized spaces imaginable: the internet.

What I am just disheartened about is that they should not have to become historians overnight to answer for a past they did not create. They deserve access to honest, comprehensive historical education that acknowledges complexity, respects those who suffered, and allows them to engage with their country’s past through understanding rather than defensiveness.

What do you all think?

This is me posting after I saw a bunch of young adults arguing with Nepalese on Facebook.

As a student myself, I genuinely want to know what other people think about this because I’ve never really understood why hair is treated as such a major issue in schools. I understand having basic standards for hygiene and looking presentable, but the strict control over hair length and hairstyles seems excessive to me.
Some teachers act like a student having hair a few centimetres longer is a bigger problem than actual bullying, bad teaching, students struggling mentally, or other real issues. Apparently, having slightly long hair automatically means you’re undisciplined, disrespectful, or somehow a bad student.
But somehow, if you have short hair, and follow every appearance rule, you’re suddenly considered a disciplined and good student. I don’t understand how someone’s haircut can be used as a measurement of their character.
Hair doesn’t affect someone’s grades, intelligence, respect, or behaviour. A student can have longer hair and still be hardworking, respectful, responsible, and disciplined. At the same time, someone with the “perfect” haircut can still behave badly. So why is hair treated like such an important part of a student’s identity?
I also feel like some of these rules are based on outdated ideas about what a student is supposed to look like. Students aren’t robots. We’re individuals, and having some freedom over our appearance is a normal part of growing up and expressing ourselves.
And before people say “it’s tradition” or “it’s discipline” school is a SCHOOL not a monastery. I respect Bhutanese culture and tradition, but that doesn’t mean every old rule should be accepted without question. There is a difference between teaching discipline and controlling every small detail of a student’s appearance.
If a student’s hair is clean, hygienic, and reasonably neat, why should the exact length matter so much? Schools should be focusing more on actual education, student’s mental health, bullying, behaviour, and creating a good learning environment instead of making students worry about whether their hair is a few centimetres too long.
I genuinely think it’s time for better school policies in Bhutan policies that focus on actual discipline, education, respect, and student well being instead of outdated appearance rules that don’t really affect a student’s ability to learn.
As a student, I genuinely want y’all’s opinion on this. Do strict hair rules in Bhutanese schools actually serve a real purpose, or is it time for schools to modernise their policies and focus on the things that actually matter?