The Special Education Needs or SEN graduates are facing challenges for having to sit for the same vacancies in the civil service examination with other graduates. Some of the SEN graduates said there should be separate vacancies tailored to their needs. According to the RCSC different vacancies are not created for SEN graduates as the selection procedure is based on merit.
For SEN graduates, the RCSC’s effort to foster inclusivity and ensure no discrimination against any Bhutanese joining the civil service is seen as a challenge to them.
Some of the SEN graduates said they have to apply and compete with other graduates for the same vacancies, making it hard to secure a job within the commission.
This year, six SEN graduates with visual impairment and dyslexia will be sitting for the preliminary examinations this Saturday along with more than 4,000 graduates.
“Being a SEN graduate, we are not able to compete with the other graduates. There are lots of formalities and process for the application which is beyond our ability. Since the vacancies announced are applicable to all the graduates, there is the need for creation of special vacancies for graduates like us,” said Sangay Dorji, SEN Graduate of the Institute of Science of Mind.
“From my perspective, we tend to lose motivation as no special treatment or extra attention is given to us. When we have to compete with other graduates, we feel like we will not be able to perform well, and eventually, we just turn up for the exams demotivated. That’s when the other graduates ultimately take away the opportunities,” said Tandin Wangchuk, SEN Graduate of the College of Natural Resources.
During the last three years, ten SEN graduates have sat for the civil service examinations but only two were recruited as civil servants. The eight graduates could not pass the preliminary exam.
According to the RCSC, although they cannot create any special vacancies for SEN graduates, they provide question papers modified to suit their needs and facilitate them during the exams.
The RCSC also said that they allot the SEN graduates a separate classroom for each candidate with two invigilators to help them during the exams. Moreover, the SEN graduates are given extra time while writing the answers.
Officials from RCSC also added that for Braille users, a separate question paper is issued and for low-vision candidates, the font of the word in the question paper is increased in order to suit their needs.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Tshering Zam
