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Dzongkha software
The DDA official coaches a gup's clerk on using the Dzongkha software
Gups of 12 bgeogs in Trashigang dzongkhag should be able to make optimum use of their office computers with the installation of the Dzongkha language software.

The installation of the software has already been completed in Radhi, Kanglung, Khaling, Bartsham and Bidung geogs.

"Although we could not install the latest 'windows' Dzongkha software, we installed the older 'word perfect' version," said the, Dzongkha Development Authority's focal person in Trashigang, Ugyen Lhendup.

Ugyen Lhendup said that the easy to use word-perfect format, which comes free from the government, had been used in the country for the past three years and was now widely used all over the country.

Dzongkha and English were also used as a language of formal forum, Dzongkha as a lingua franca and English as a matrix language, a language of science, technology and international communication and a source of pressure on local language and culture, the study said. "This may be telling that they mixed or switched between these two languages in which they felt more comfortable, or when they lack the vocabulary to express better," Singye Namgyel's study paper stated.

The Dzongkha alphabets in the old format serially follow the arrangement of the English alphabets on the keyboard. "We are used to working with this software, which makes it much easier for us to train the gups and their clerks," said Ugyen Lhendup. "We haven't seen the latest software ourselves."

Ugyen and his team are also giving the gups and their clerks some basic computer courses, and teaching them some of the simple and standard styles of writing official letters.

"We don't have enough budget to arrange a training programme for the gups in the dzongkhag," Ugyen Lhendup said. "So the cheapest way was to train them as we go from one geog to another installing the software."

The Bartsham and Bidung gups and their clerks who now find it easier to use the computer with the Dzongkha software are confident of making better use of the computer.

The Bartsham gup's clerk, Chador Phuntsho who does most of the writing work in the gup's office told Kuensel that he would be able to use the computer, which had been lying idle on the office table for the last two months, within no time.

"It is not difficult for me to decipher which English alphabet on the keyboard is which in Dzongkha," said Chador Phuntsho. "I learnt that in Thimphu when I was serving the Bartsham lam, Kunzang Wangdi."

The Bidung Gup, Karma, said that he learnt to print letters from the computer the moment he was taught. "I know the main keys to be punched," said Karma. "But it is going to take sometime before we get comfortable with the typing."

"With the decentralisation policy our responsibilities as the village leaders increased," said the Bartsham gup, Neten Druba. "Even if we worked during weekends, our works kept piling because everything had to be done by hand. I am hoping that the computer will ease all that."

His clerk, Chador Phuntsho added that whenever the GYT meetings were held it was difficult for him to keep the minutes. "It takes us a week to hand write the main points raised during the meetings," said Chador Phuntsho. "Now I am hoping that we would be able to write, save, print and send the letters to the tshokpas and to the dzongkhag within a day."

The dzongkhag intends to complete installing the dzongkha software in Phongmey, Shongphu, Samkhar, Yangner, Uzurong, Lumang and Thrimshing dungkhag within this month.

The installation works started on April 30, about three months after the computers were distributed.

The four geogs of Merak, Sakten, Kangpara, and Nanong, which do not have electricity, have not been supplied with the computer facility.

Contributed by Samten Wangchuk, KUENSEL, Bhutan's National Newspaper, 2006

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