Support staff in schools, such as Elementary Service Personnel (ESP) and General Service Personnel (GSP), including cooks, will enjoy enhanced benefits as para-regular employees. The move, the education minister confirmed yesterday, during the parliament’s question hour session, grants them salary raises, transfers, loans, Provident Fund, gratuity, and professional development at par with regular civil servants. They were recruited as contract employees and were not entitled to these benefits.
Member of Parliament from Boomdeling-Jamkhar Constituency in Trashi Yangtse, Wangdi highlighted that support staff in schools, particularly cooks have heavy workload, especially those in lower and primary schools with boarding facilities, providing one or two meals a day.
Currently, schools with fewer than 80 students are allotted only one cook, who are required to multitask and work extensive hours from 5 AM to 8 PM.
MP Wangdi said “While the normal work hour is 9 hours per day for civil servants, the cooks in schools are working roughly 7 more hours every day, 210 hours per month and 2520 hours per year. So, will the government compensate for the extra work they deliver to the schools?
The education minister stated that a revised staffing pattern has been submitted to the Royal Civil Service Commission.
If it is approved, schools will be allotted additional cooks even if the student population is small.
Yeezang De Thapa, Education and Skills Development Minister said “Under the revised staffing pattern, schools with up to 50 students will be allotted two cooks. For every additional 50 students, one extra cook will be provided, with a maximum limit of ten cooks per school. For schools with up to 100 students and serving two meals a day, will receive two cooks, and one additional cook for every extra 100 students. Schools with up to 150 students and providing one meal a day will receive two cooks, and one additional cook for every extra 150 students”
A question was also raised about granting support staff paid vacations, similar to teachers, during winter and summer breaks when schools remain closed.
However, the minister clarified that under the Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations 2023, the ministry is unable to implement paid leave for support staff beyond the 21-day annual leave.
Samten Dolkar
Edited by Phub Gyem
