THIMPHU, June 20: The Bhutanese government plans to recruit approximately 100 Indian teachers starting in July to address critical shortages in STEM education, according to a report from local media. Education and Skill Development Minister Yeezang De Thapa disclosed this initiative aimed at alleviating the scarcity of teachers in subjects encompassing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), as reported by Kuensel newspaper on Wednesday.
The recruitment drive will focus on hiring 35 Mathematics teachers, 18 Physics teachers, 19 Chemistry teachers, and 28 ICT (Information and Communications Technology) teachers from India next month, the national newspaper detailed.
As of June, Bhutan faces an urgent shortfall of 135 STEM teachers across its schools, including deficits of 46 in Mathematics, 38 in ICT, 22 in Physics, and 29 in Chemistry, according to the report. Minister Thapa highlighted that in 2023 alone, there was a shortage of 1,263 teachers, which was partially mitigated by recruiting 187 B.Ed teachers in January, reducing the deficit to 1,076. Despite hiring 646 contract teachers from March to June, the recent resignation of 247 teachers has widened the gap to 677.
Looking ahead to July, Minister Thapa projected that with the addition of 121 new PGDE (Post Graduate Diploma in Education) teachers and 100 expatriate teachers, the shortfall will shrink to 456. Criticism has been directed at the timing of professional development programs, which disrupt teaching schedules.
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