With schools closed for the winter break, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) has rolled out a wide range of structured programmes across the country to ensure that students and youth remain actively engaged beyond the classroom.
Rather than viewing the winter break as idle time, the ministry has positioned the holidays as an opportunity to promote physical fitness, leadership, resilience and positive social engagement among young people.
The U19 regional championships are scheduled from 3rd to 7th January 2026, across seven regions, engaging around 756 students. This will be followed by the U19 national championships in Thimphu from 15th to 30th January involving 252 students. The U16 national championship will take place during the same period, with boys’ matches hosted in Tsirang and girls’ matches in Gelephu, engaging about 765 students.
Beyond sports, the ministry is placing strong emphasis on leadership and values education. Around 150 Class V students from schools across the country will attend a two-week Nachung Leadership Training in Dagana from 25th January to 7th February 2026. Similarly, 150 outstanding scout students are undergoing a three-week leadership training in Sarpang from 25th December to 17th January 2026.
In addition, a training on Comprehensive Sexuality Education is being provided to 26 youth participants, including out-of-school youth, facilitated by trained Y-PEER members. A Chess Program is also planned across 13 youth centers from mid-January to early February. Meanwhile, a winter youth engagement program is currently underway at 12 youth centers from 19th December 2025 to 24th January 2026, engaging an average of 50 to 60 participants at each center with the support of 15 to 20 youth volunteers.