A Case Study on Low Academic Achievement Among the Schools of Samtse Dzongkhag

Pema Sherpa¹* and Bedhya Wati Subedi²

¹Principal, Yoeseltse HSS, Samtse, Bhutan
²Teacher, Dorokha PS, Samtse, Bhutan

*Corresponding Author: Pema Sherpa, Principal, Yoeseltse HSS, Samtse, Bhutan.

Received: October 14, 2025; Published: October 20, 2025

Abstract

This study looks at the persistent issue of low academic achievement in schools in Samtse Dzongkhag, Bhutan, where performance levels have consistently fallen below national averages despite ongoing educational reforms. A quantitative research design was undertaken by collecting data from 172 teachers from 35 schools in urban, semi-urban, and rural settings. The study sought to identify the primary causes of poor academic performance and to propose targeted interventions. The findings show that various factors, including teacher shortages, insufficient teaching and learning materials (TLMs), limited curriculum resources, and a lack of support staff, all impact instructional quality. Furthermore, the study identifies weak parental involvement and limited student interest as important non-institutional factors influencing the outcome. Language barriers exacerbate the problem, especially in communities where local dialects differ from the instructional languages, English and Dzongkha. The findings show a strong link between human resources, curriculum adequacy, community vitality, learner readiness, and linguistic competence in shaping student achievement. Understanding the factors that led to its deficit can help bring improvement in the overall performance of the children. This finding can aid schools in outperforming academically and bringing positive correlation in academic coordinates at the dzongkhag level. Further, it will help to bring various stakeholders’ attention to work for the benefit of the students. The study suggests a few actionable recommendations that the Dzongkhag administration and education authorities conduct a mixedmethods follow-up study, enhance teacher professional development, strengthen mentoring systems, improve curriculum support, and encourage stronger home-school partnerships. By addressing these issues, Samtse schools can gradually close the academic gap and improve the district's overall educational standards.

Keywords: Low Academic Achievement; Samtse Dzongkhag; Bhutan; Teacher Shortage; Curriculum Materials; Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs); Learner Readiness; Parental Involvement; Community Vitality; Language Barrier; Rural Education; Quantitative Study; Academic Performance

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Citation

Citation: Pema Sherpa and Bedhya Wati Subedi. “A Case Study on Low Academic Achievement Among the Schools of Samtse Dzongkhag" Acta Scientific Paediatrics 8.11 (2025): 03-11.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Pema Sherpa and Bedhya Wati Subedi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.