Recently the Ministry of Education said that it will not renew contract for some of the National Contract Teachers and Regular Contract Teachers in some schools. They will be replaced by regular teachers from next year.
Many contract teachers ending their terms will add on unemployment numbers. The gaps will be filled by trained teachers. But there is already shortage of teachers in many schools in the country. Is it a good move?
About 710 teachers had resigned from August 2020 to until now. According to the ministry of education of 2020 report, the teacher attrition rate was 1.9 percent. It has increased to 3.8 percent. The resignation of teachers still continue and the attrition rate will further increase.
The Ministry of Education’s purpose is to shape an education system in the country that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes for all of our children and young people. A strong focus on student learning and well-being underpins all our policy and the services the sector provides to the students. How it will be achieved with teacher attrition?
The ministry issued a letter to all the dzongkhags in September that the ministry will not extend contract for those teachers that can be replaced by regular teachers. But what is the specification? Based on what criteria the replacement will be done?
The officials from the ministry had just said that it had looked into the matter case-by-case. It is based on the subject teacher requirement, giving preference to the regular teachers.
Meanwhile, during the First Session, the education minister has also said that in addition to the regularization of contract civil servants in the Ministry of Education, all other civil servants on contract would be regularized.
On other hand, the Prime Minister said that they had even discussed with Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) but since they have their own rules and regulations, the plans to regularize contract teachers are still in the process. There is no update on this now.
The recruitment rules clearly specify as in until when to keep the contract employees in the Ministry of Education according to the Bhutan Civil Service Rules (BCSR).
There are more than 500 schools and about 0.16 million students just about with 9,000 teachers in the country. How teacher shortage can be filled by regular teachers and where non-renewed contract teachers will go?
With the news of that the ministry will not renew contract for some of the National Contract Teachers and Regular Contract Teachers, will the graduate opt to join as contract teachers?