A total of 480 teachers left the profession as of May this year, 125 more than last year. With this, 2019 records the highest teacher attrition rate in the last five years, according to the 2019 Annual Education Statistics.
The report states that the reasons for leaving the profession include voluntary resignation, superannuation and expiry of the contract, besides others.
Of the total 480 teachers who left the profession this year, 277 voluntary resigned, 57 superannuated, 8 compulsorily retired and 103 left upon contract expiration. On average, 3.89 per cent of teachers leave the education system from public schools. The attrition rate has been increasing every year and as of this year, it stands at 5.44, the highest so far.
However, the attrition rate is likely to resolve with the government’s initiative of pay revision for teachers, making them the highest-paid civil servants from July this year. While addressing the United Nations General Assembly last month, Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said the move is expected to motivate teachers.
“I am happy to share that my government has made teachers in Bhutan the highest-paid civil servants this July. We aspire to motivate the teachers and also to attract the best and the brightest into this profession. It is only through investment in the teaching that we can bring significant improvement in the quality of education.”
Over the five years, over 1,600 teachers have left the profession. As per the report, there are over 9,600 teachers in the country today.
Sonam Pem
