KP Sharma
The education ministry is currently in talks with Royal Civil Service Commission on the possibility of regularising teachers who are recruited on a regular contract.
This, according to the prime minister, is part of transformation of civil service and a measure to solve the shortage of teachers in the country. To address the shortage of teachers, the education ministry has been recruiting teachers on contract.
RCSC recruits general graduates on consolidated contract and graduates from two teaching colleges, Samtse and Paro, on a regular contract.
Teachers on regular contract are recruited to address the shortage of regular teachers. Consolidated contract is usually recruited to stand in for teachers who are on short-term leave. They are usually recruited for two years.
According to the current system, to be a regular teacher, he or she has to clear the civil service examination or should have prior teaching experience.
Currently, there are about 800 teachers on regular contract, according to the prime minister. “The question of regularising contract teachers will see progress in the coming years.”
He said that the transformation exercise in the civil service would allow the contract teachers to be regular civil servants. “The Education Ministry is looking to regularise the service of regular contract teachers.”
The ministry has collected the full details of regular contract teachers, according to the prime minister.
Lyonchhen said, “The shortage is a concern for the ministry; quality of teachers is even a bigger concern.” He added that looking only for quantity could hamper the quality of education.
The ministry is currently reationalising the number of teachers required for each subject in schools.
Lyonchhen said that the ministry would negotiate with RCSC to regularise contract teachers.
Lyonchhen said that if the ministry gets approval from RCSC, the ministry would recruit and place the teachers based on the need of the schools.
“It all depends on RCSC. We will have to negotiate with the Commission,” he said.
The regular contract teachers are paid a contract allowance of 30 percent on top of their salary.
Lyonchhen said that if more than 800 regular contract teachers are regularised, a huge amount of money could be saved as the government need not pay for their allowance.