MoESD to introduce ICT from pre-primary classes

2026-02-16 - 08:07

Starting this year, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) will introduce Information and Communication Technology (ICT) beginning from Pre-Primary (PP). The move aims to equip students with ICT knowledge from an early age and ensure their skills are developed progressively each year. Furthermore, the move comes as concerns grow over student performance in ICT. While STEM subjects were traditionally seen as challenging, recent national examination results show that ICT is now emerging as one of the subjects where students struggle the most. The 2025 BCSE Class 10 and BE Class 6 results indicate that many students struggle in ICT. In the BE Class 6 examination, out of 13,899 students who appeared for the ICT subject, 12,187 passed, making it one of the lowest performing subjects compared to others. Similarly, in the BCSE Class 10 examination, only 6,931 students passed ICT out of 12,316 candidates who appeared for the subject. Responding to the concerns, Education Minister Lyonpo Yeezang De Thapa said the ministry has faced challenges in providing adequate ICT teachers to schools and has even recruited ICT teachers from India to address the shortage. Lyonpo said that the number of ICT teachers required in schools is still high, and that this year the ministry plans to increase the intake of ICT teachers to meet the demand. She said, “First, we will explore candidates within our own job market. If we do not have enough teachers, we will have to recruit from India.” Lyonpo said, “There are about 560 schools, and sending computers to each school is very difficult.” “We need proper planning and an annual budget allocation. If we use the budget at once, it will not be adequate for other plans in the coming years. So we will provide it in a phase-wise manner,” she added. Lyonpo said that the lower performance could be attributed to the lack of adequate teachers and resources, which limited students’ access to ICT and affected their overall performance. In the Class 6 Board Examination in December 2025, a total of 14,029 candidates from 407 schools, 394 government and 13 private schools, registered, of which 13,899 appeared for the examination. Out of those, 12,202 students passed the exam. For the BCSE Class 10 Examination, a total of 12,414 candidates from 147 schools, including 136 government and 11 private schools registered for the exam. Of these, 12,316 students appeared, and 10,183 successfully passed the examination. The overall pass percentage for both Class 10 and Class 6 has increased compared to previous years. For the 2025 BE Class 6 examination, the overall pass percentage stands at 87.79 percent, an increase from 77.33 percent in 2024 and 72.39 percent in 2023. Similarly, for the 2025 BCSE Class 10 examination, the overall pass percentage is 82.67 percent. This marks an improvement from 74.56 percent in 2024, 73.78 percent in 2023, 71.58 percent in 2022, and 70.12 percent in 2021. However, a more in-depth look at the results shows that despite the overall improvement in pass percentages, there remains a high number of failures in subjects such as ICT. According to the MoESD, the ministry will be addressing these issues by providing trained ICT teachers, phased resources, and necessary tools such as computers in schools. Moreover, according to the ministry, introducing IT-related subjects such as Digital Technology and Innovation in higher schools could further improve students’ skills and performance in technology. The MoESD mentioned that introducing ICT from PP gives students the opportunity to become familiar with technology at an early age. By gradually learning basic computer skills, digital tools, and problem-solving techniques, children can build a strong foundation that will make it easier for them to adapt to more complex ICT concepts in higher classes. Additionally, early exposure also encourages curiosity and confidence, helping students develop a comfort with technology that will benefit them both in academics and in everyday life.