At a time when the country is losing talent and experience rapidly, there is a need for far-reaching changes in all sectors.

Skills development initiatives and the many out-of-the-box measures are not helping. In fact, the skills that we spend so heavily on building, are going out of the country, adding to the State’s burden significantly.

When there is an absence of meaningful employment—pay, savings, and security at the end of one’s long career—opportunities are going to waste.

It was first the top talents that we began losing. We did not even notice. Then we began losing mid-career professionals. We felt some pressure. Now, we do not even have students aiming for higher studies after Class XII.

We will continue to lose talents as long as we do not become an economy that produces and exports. But what should worry us today is that we are on the verge of losing even the little that we have.

The loss of human resource in the education and health sectors is worrying. We have spent millions in building the talent pool in these sectors and we continue to do so. What we do not seem to understand, however, is that the loss of one well-trained professional with several years of experience under his belt can never be replaced by a fresh graduate.

A struggling country like ours, one that is strategically positioned at that, we should have at least a very strong education system. This is a very serious concern. Blueprints and new ideas are failing.

For us to have dedicated, skilled and talented teachers, pay alone will not work. Look at their work burden, for example. Our teachers are trained to teach but they are made to carry out so many responsibilities besides teaching proper that they soon are burnt out.

Bhutanese are leaving abroad in droves because they do not see a secure future. How do we reassure our people that the future of our children is bright and promising in Bhutan?

Our many policies should meet at one point. The time has come.  Our aim should be to build a nation that looks forward.

Losing talent and experience, especially in the education sector, is a very worrying sign.