Mark LaPrairie, World Bank Representative to Bhutan, first went to Bhutan in 1988 under a Canadian volunteer program for a three-year assignment as a teacher in rural primary schools. He returned to Bhutan in 1997 as Education Officer for UNICEF. He joined the Bank in 1999 as an Education Specialist in South Asia. His prior work experience also includes field positions with CARE (Canada) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Africa. For the past eight years, he has served as Task Team Leader for Bank-financed education projects in Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Prior to his appointment as Representative to Bhutan, Mark served as Country Operations Officer for Bhutan and head-of-office in Maldives. Mark is currently pursuing a doctorate of education degree at the University of London, examining the use of children's stories in primary schools and hip-hop in high schools for Buddhism-based values education in Bhutan.