September 05: The election commission has released a guideline on the academic qualification required for the National Council and National Assembly candidates.

According to the election bill, candidates for the National Council and National Assembly elections must possess a formal university degree. But there were confusions about what constitutes a formal university degree.

A formal university degree has been defined as a degree not lower than a bachelor’s degree conferred on a person after having pursued a formal course of study at a university or an institution of higher learning recognized by the Royal government and attested by a competent authority in the kingdom.

The clause having pursued a formal course of study requires that candidates must have undertaken a structured course of study in a formal classroom setting for the required period of time.

The Royal University of Bhutan has been designated as the competent authority to attest after determining whether a certificate is a formal university degree or not.

Degrees awarded by colleges and institutions under the Royal University of Bhutan or colleges and institutions in India registered under the association of Indian universities, or colleges and institutions in other nations recognized by the Royal government and accepted as such by the Royal University of Bhutan will be recognized under the guideline.