ESP Education Loan: Was the Application Window Truly Open?
The two notices released by the Bank of Bhutan regarding the ESP Education Loan Scheme for the 2026 Summer Intake have raised serious concerns among students and parents. The first notice announced that the application window had opened and invited eligible students to submit their applications before 30 June 2026. This gave the impression that applicants would have adequate time to prepare documents, submit applications, and be fairly assessed based on their financial needs and eligibility. However, the second notice, issued only hours later, stated that the application window had been closed effective 2 June 2026 due to the exhaustion of allocated funds. This sequence of events raises an important question: Was the application process genuinely intended to evaluate students based on need, or was it effectively operating on a first-come, first-served basis from the very beginning? The purpose of an education loan scheme, particularly one designed to support stud...
