The education ministry plans to offer a part-time degree course to ECCD facilitators. It will enrol 90 Early Childhood Care and Development Centre diploma holders in a part-time Bachelor of ECCD programme over the next three years, starting in January next year. Education Minister Yeezang De Thapa, during the meet-the-press session, said upgrading the qualifications of ECCD facilitators is important for building capacity and preparing them for leadership roles.
The minister said that internationally, a diploma in ECCD is the minimum qualification required for ECCD facilitators, while a bachelor’s degree is considered necessary for advanced roles.
In Bhutan, government-owned ECCD facilities enrol facilitators with a diploma from the Paro College of Education. Meanwhile, private ECCD centres accept facilitators trained in basic ECCD in private institutions.
From this year, the ministry has notified ECCD centres to employ trained facilitators who have cleared the National Certificate Level-3 examination.
“At present, a diploma in ECCD is the minimum qualification required for ECCD facilitators internationally. A bachelor’s degree is required only for advanced roles. In line with this, the ministry will set a diploma as the minimum requirement in ECCD, and introduce a bachelor’s degree in ECCD over the next three years,” said the minister.
According to the minister, 220 in-service facilitators who have already completed their ECCD diploma will be upgraded to S2 level.
She highlighted that the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) approved the ECCD facilitator position at the S5 level on a contractual basis in 2018, when facilitators did not have professional ECCD qualifications.
The minister added that as the ECCD sector has progressed and more qualified facilitators have become available, the RCSC has approved a higher S2 level position.
Furthermore, she also said that recruitment and regularisation of ECCD facilitators will be carried out in phases depending on the demand of ECCD facilitators.
Sangay Chozom
Edited by Phub Gyem
