Education: The education ministry has said that the contract period for contract teachers with Bachelor’s of Education (B.Ed) degrees, recruited in 2015, will be renewed based on the requirement proposal submitted by the respective dzongkhags.

In March 2015, 200 B.Ed graduates who didn’t pass the civil service examinations were recruited in different schools on contract to address the shortage of teachers. The contract period for these 200 contract teachers will expire by March 2017.

While it was earlier unsure whether the contract for 200 BEd teachers recruited in 2015 would be renewed, the ministry has decided to allow renewal becasue of shortages of teachers in some schools.

The ministry has already directed the dzongkhags to work on contract extension.

“We have already written to the dzongkhags saying respective districts can start processing for contract extension for the existing B.Ed contract teachers,” said the ministry’s chief human resource officer, Kinley Gyeltshen.

Accordingly, as per the contract extension proposal from the dzongkhag on contract teachers and evaluation report submitted by the principals, the ministry will approve the renewal of contract. The ministry, however, cannot approve the contract extension.

The ministry will then endorse the performance evaluation and forward it to the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) for the contract extension.

“It will depend on RCSC whether to endorse the contract extension,” said Kinley Gyeltshen.

The possibility of contract extension will also depend largely on the individual subject requirement.

Dzongkhag education officers and principals said that most of the contract teachers recruited in 2015 would be retained in their dzongkhags.

“Since we still need contract teachers we will support their contract extension because there are teachers still on maternity leave,” said Trashigang’s dzongkhag education officer, Phuntsho.

He said that unless some of the contract teachers want to leave the profession, their contract would be renewed. “Contract teachers have really helped us fill the shortage, especially in primary schools.”

Trashigang has received around 50 B.Ed contract teachers in last two years.

Samtse’s dzongkhag education officer, Karma Sonam Chophel, said that there is no question of not extending the contract since there is shortage of teachers.

“If possible, we want all of their contracts extended,” Karma Sonam Chophel said.

He said that athough Samtse has excess teachers, contract teachers will be required to fill up the shortage, which will be created when some of the expecting women teachers avail six-month maternity leave.

Principal of Bartsham Central School, Tau Tshering, said that the school will have to retain the two contract teachers in the school.

“Otherwise, the school will face teacher shortage,” said Tau Tshering, adding that both of them have been doing well besides helping the school to clear the teacher shortages.

Tempa Wangdi