His Majesty the King, during the address to the nation on the 112th National Day of Bhutan on 17 December 2019, announced the launch of Gyalsung – National Service.
The Gyalsung is envisioned as a one-year integrated training program mandatory for all youths attaining the age of 18.
The year long training will include three months of basic military training followed by National Education, Life Skills and specialized training in various fields ranging from home construction technologies, computing and entrepreneurship to focused development of skills in agriculture.
The objective of the Gyalsung is to provide direction and encourage our youth to be strong, independent thinkers, capable of serving the country. It will bring the youth of Bhutan together in a shared experience and act as a rite of passage- irrespective of their economic or regional backgrounds. The program seeks to endow every young Bhutanese with the personal attributes/discipline and professional skills and capabilities needed to succeed in the 21st century and thereby contribute to nation-building.
Current estimates indicate that nearly 13,000 youth will go through this rite of passage every year. The training for the NS cadets will take place simultaneously in 4 National Service Academies located across the country.
Concurrently, GYALSUNG INFRA has been established as a separate organization to carry out design works and build infrastructure for the five academies as greenfield projects.