ABOUT US
“Enhancing Educational Engagements to nurture SMART Active Citizens by transforming challenges into opportunities.”
Inspired by our Beloved King’s vision for a locally rooted and globally competent Bhutanese with smart institutions in place, a great emphasis on quality education, with education reform in the process and an opportunity presented by the pandemic, VTOB Foundation comes into light as an innovative, relevant and affordable social educational solutions and service provider led by a team of over 100 young team members.
VTOB Foundation is a pandemic-born initiative that dreams and acts to provide educational solutions and services to nurture SMART (Sincere, Mindful, Astute, Resilient, Timeless) active citizens. When the pandemic forced closure on all institutions, teachers from across the country came together to form an overnight response team to provide continued education during the closure.
VTOB initially started as a teacher voluntary group on March 7, 2020, after schools had closed down due to the pandemic. With the support from the Honorable Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Education and a host of other organizations, the team was fortunate to contribute voluntary services to develop BBS lessons, Online Learning, Radio lessons and Self-Instructional Materials (SIM) for over 1,70,000 students along with numerous educational initiatives during the pandemic. The initiatives are cherished as a fulfilling endeavour to provide continued education during school closures.
Motivated by the success of the service during the pandemic, on March 7, 2021, VTOB Foundation started as a Community-Based Organisation (CBO) in Thimphu. Today, VTOB consists of a CBO supported by host of social enterprises providing various services and has grown to a strong team of more than 100 young members spread across three locations; two in Thimphu and one in Paro.
The Bhutanese Education system’s growth has always been a great example and it has been serving its purpose until now but the need to transform and rethink how we do schools, looking at curriculum reforms, skill-based education, assessment system, ICT in learning and personalized education options is more than evident. VTOB believes in the need for stronger, focused and value based foundational years’ curriculum and specialization options as children go up the grades as well as a strong motivation to employ technology in everyday learning through digital gadgets, AI, Coding and consistently evolving programs/content.
Therefore, VTOB aims to enhance educational engagements to nurture SMART Active Citizens through consistent quality services. The team walks the talk forward with dreams and actions to create lifelong learning platforms for all to support the education reform process, to supplement mainstream education and to create youth employment opportunities.
With the vision to Enhance Educational Engagements, it is a center for young versatile team members to use education as a tool to solve social problems and complement, support and offer endless educational opportunities through creative, innovative and voluntary initiatives. VTOB is guided by Tha Damtshi Lay Judrey, Integrity and Civic Responsibility, and employ Problem-Solving Innovations, Consistent Quality Services, Constant evolution to be relevant and an Open Learning Platform, in order to achieve their vision.
Through a safe and well-equipped space, innovative programs and young dynamic team members with a proactive mindset, VTOB provides a variety of solutions and services. Every program at VTOB is born to solve a problem.
Our Mission
Sonam Norbu, Founder
Mr. Sonam Norbu is an Edupreneur, social worker and a lifelong learner. He has been a teacher for 12 years and currently Sonam has founded VTOB Foundation, a Community Based Organization supported by few social enterprises that aims to enhance educational engagements to nurture active citizens through consistent quality services that are innovative, problem-solving, relevant and affordable. He has led the Teacher volunteers group of 6000 plus teachers in 2020 wherein the team volunteered to provide continued education to more than 1,70,000 students during the school closures due to the pandemic. He has a Masters in Education Studies from the University of Canberra, Australia.
Sonam works with young university graduates and is on a social drive to transform challenges into endless opportunities and solve social problems through educational engagements and initiatives. He believes that education is the key to solving all problems and it should go beyond classrooms and examination grades-education must nurture lifelong learning active citizens. Sonam is trying to complement and supplement mainstream education as well as support youth engagement and employment opportunities.
