The government does not guarantee employment to all graduates, Education and Skills Development Minister Yeezang De Thapa said, responding to concerns over only 10 B.Ed Primary Dzongkha teacher vacancies for 69 graduates this year.
Lyonpo Yeezang said a B.Ed qualification only makes graduates eligible to compete for teaching positions and does not create an entitlement to a government job.
She said the same principle applies to graduates of other fields, including Sherubtse College, where graduation does not assure students of government employment.
“The Government recruits teachers based on the needs of the education system, not on the number of graduates produced each year,” the minister said.
The 10 Dzongkha vacancies announced for the 2026 Bhutan Civil Service Examination (BCSE) represent the number of additional Dzongkha teachers required after taking into account the existing workforce and measures such as deployment, transfers and rationalisation, according to the ministry.
The vacancies are therefore not determined by the number of B.Ed Dzongkha graduates completing their studies in a particular year.
Teacher requirements are determined through the Teacher Requirement Exercise (TRE), which considers student enrolment, classes and sections, curriculum and subject requirements, existing teacher strength, attrition, workload and the distribution of teachers across schools.
The ministry said teacher requirements can also change during the academic year because of resignations, transfers, extraordinary leave and other staffing movements.
Where shortages arise, Dzongkhags and Thromdes address them through redeployment and, where necessary, contract recruitment. The ministry also undertakes an annual assessment of requirements and addresses remaining gaps through civil service recruitment and redeployment exercises.
Lyonpo Yeezang also clarified that B.Ed intake at Paro and Samtse Colleges of Education is not based on an annual teacher requirement or a requisition submitted by the ministry.
The colleges determine their intake based on their admission policies, programme capacity and institutional requirements.
She said the four-year duration of the B.Ed programme also means that the number of students admitted cannot be directly matched with the number of teaching vacancies available when they graduate.
Teacher requirements and workforce projections can change during the four years because of changes in enrolment, curriculum, attrition, teacher strength and other factors.
Therefore, an intake of around 70 students does not represent 70 government teaching vacancies or a commitment by the government to recruit the same number upon graduation.
For graduates who are not selected in a particular recruitment cycle, the ministry said they can pursue opportunities in private schools and other education-related institutions. They may also compete for government positions in subsequent recruitment cycles, subject to prevailing requirements and selection procedures.
The ministry said it will continue to work with Dzongkhags and Thromdes to plan teacher-training intake in line with the projected needs of the education system.
The issue has highlighted the difference between the number of students entering teacher-training programmes and the number of government teaching positions available when they graduate, with the ministry maintaining that recruitment is ultimately based on the actual requirements of the education system.
Nidup Lhamo, Thimphu
