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The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers and students has been discussed in different contexts of education, mostly focused on challenges of the imposed transition from physical to virtual teaching. Not much has been written about the resulting predicaments of rural teachers and their students, especially in developing countries like Bhutan. Using a qualitative approach, this article explores these challenges and identifies the coping strategies used by 15 Bhutanese rural teachers regarding online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible implications and recommendations for future practice and research are discussed.

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The behavioral intention (BI) of teachers to use technology is an important factor in the success of technology use in classrooms. Many models have been developed and extended in different contexts by adding various independent variables to the two initial variables of the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis,1989): Perceived usefulness (PU) and Perceived ease of use (PEOU) to determine teachers' BI to use technology. However, not many have attempted to investigate the role of Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and Facilitating Conditions (FC) in determining teachers' BI to use technology. Further, mediation through PU and PEOU from TPACK and FC to determine BI remains untested. To address these gaps, this study used an extended TAM (eTAM) model to investigate factors influencing teachers' BI to use technology. Employing convenience sampling technique, an electronic survey questionnaire consisting of 22 items was distributed across the schools in two western districts of Bhutan. A total of 207 in-service school teachers voluntarily responded to the survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data; first, to examine whether there is any direct influence of TPACK and FC on BI or not, and then the mediating effects of PU and PEOU from TPACK and FC to BI. The findings revealed that there was no evidence of a direct influence from TPACK and FC on BI, though there was a significant effect of TPACK and FC on teachers' BI when mediated through PU and PEOU.

This study was carried out in Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan to assess the consequence of crop raided by conflict species in four villages located in the buffer zone. Data were collected through semi-structured household interviews, direct observation, and key informant interviews. The majority of households interviewed (95.5%) reported the prevalence of crop depredation by wild animals. The results also indicated that crop loss was significant and more frequent near the forest edge compared to crops located distant from the forest. Porcupine was reported to be the most destructive wild animal followed by the monkey and wild pig. Wild animals caused considerable economic loss to households by raiding their crops. We propose collaboration between wildlife managers, researchers, and affected communities to come up with a sound management intervention strategy to lessen the crop raiding. For immediate and effective protection of the crops, we recommend the installation of solar and electric fencing to reduce the severity of crop raiding.