During the Meet-The-Press session held on November 28, the Minister for the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Yeezang De Thapa, provided an update on the recent Teacher Requirement Exercise (TRE) and the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to improve teacher distribution across Bhutan. She emphasized that teacher deployment is now being guided by actual school-level needs, especially in remote areas, to ensure equitable and quality education for all children.
The Minister explained that the TRE was conducted to review staffing patterns based on student enrollment, subject requirements, and emerging needs across schools. The findings revealed that some Dzongkhags and Thromdes currently have surpluses of teachers, particularly in core subjects such as Language, Mathematics, and Science. According to the Minister, these surpluses stem from multiple factors.
Firstly, the high attrition rates between 2021 and 2023 prompted the Ministry to intensify recruitment to fill vacancies. With attrition now stabilizing, the Ministry recognizes the need to reassess staffing levels and redistribute teachers more efficiently. Additionally, the shift to the 2020 curriculum has reduced teaching periods for certain subjects, contributing further to teacher surpluses. School mergers in several Dzongkhags have also affected the distribution of teaching staff.
“The surpluses are not uniform across the country,” the Minister noted. “While some Dzongkhags and Thromdes have more teachers than required in specific subjects, others are facing significant shortages.”
Shortages are particularly acute in specialized areas such as Special Education Needs (SEN), Information Technology (IT), and History, fields where skilled teachers are urgently needed to maintain quality education. These gaps are most prevalent in remote and hard-to-reach schools, where attracting and retaining teachers remains a persistent challenge.
To address these disparities, the Ministry is granting greater authority to Dzongkhags and Thromdes to redeploy teachers within their jurisdictions based on actual needs. This decentralization aims to make teacher deployment more responsive, flexible, and aligned with local conditions.
The Minister also noted that new graduates from the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programs, expected to enter the system in 2026, will be strategically placed in areas with chronic shortages—particularly in remote and underserved communities. Conversely, recruitment and transfers into urban centers and regions with existing teacher surpluses will be limited to avoid worsening imbalances.
Alongside deployment reforms, the Ministry is prioritizing curriculum alignment and teacher capacity building. As the curriculum evolves—especially with new focus areas such as Science and Technology at the primary level, and Health and Physical Education, Digital Technology, and Innovation at the secondary level—teachers will require new skills and competencies. MoESD is therefore exploring opportunities to upskill and reskill existing teachers, ensuring they are equipped to deliver emerging subjects effectively and confidently.
In addition, the Ministry is working with Dzongkhags to finalize updated transfer and placement guidelines that will promote a more transparent, needs-based, and equitable deployment process. Minister Yeezang De Thapa emphasized that these reforms aim to guarantee that every child, regardless of their geographical location, receives the support they need to succeed academically.
She reaffirmed MoESD’s commitment to continuously improving teacher deployment strategies through enhanced data accuracy, stronger local empowerment, and sustained investment in teacher training. The overarching goal is to create a more balanced, efficient, and responsive education system that meets the diverse learning needs of Bhutan’s students.
The Minister expressed confidence that these strategic measures will lead to improved educational outcomes and a brighter future for all children across the country.
Sherab Dorji
From Thimphu
