Kuensel :4 August, 2007 “Allowance to retain doctors”...’The government is still discussing scarcity allowance for teachers and engineers. It is unclear when the allowances for these two professions would be approved.’

Now our doctors are getting a huge allowance of 45% of their salary. They deserve the allowance, though i am not sure about that percentage. And our dear teachers too will be getting the allowance soon.They too deserve it. But engineers? It’s quite shocking that the government is ‘discussing
scarcity allowance’ for engineers. Do we really face scarcity of engineers? If so, why did our giant RCSC start screening them so that few will be put into civil service and rest in corporations and private firms?

If engineers are to be given the so called scarcity allowance, say of 30%, then the lawyers deserve scarcity allowance of 60%. I feel that that will be reasonable. Bhutan faces acute shortage of lawyers. Ask RCSC how many lawyers they need in the ministries, departments and autonomous agencies. Ask the judiciary how many lawyers they are short of. Ask the corporations how desparate they are of getting a lawyer. And our great government thinks there is a shortage of engineers. Engineers complete their course in 4 years time whereas lawyers take atleast 7 years including some course they need to do in Bhutan. And just compare the number of engineers and lawyers.

When private firms and contractors don’t have any problem in getting engineers, I don’t see any reason why our government faces ‘scarcity’ of them. I am not against the engineers. I just can’t find any rationale in giving ‘scarcity allowance’ to engineers. If our government is really trying to make our engineers happy, the least it can do is give that allowance a different name rather than calling it ‘scarcity allowance’ because we have enough of them.

With such actions of the government leading to giving some professions too much importance and neglecting others, I wouldn’t be surprised if our lawyers begin to leave the civil service and join the corporations. With some corporations willing to pay around 40000 a month, a lot of dissatisfied lawyers would surely look for other oppotunities outside the government. Some may even like to establish their own law firms.

CONGRATULATIONS ENGINEERS AND GOOD LUCK TO LAWYERS. AND WELL DONE! TO OUR GOVERNMENT. MAY FAIRNESS, REASON AND JUSTICE PREVAIL IN BHUTAN.

Our ENGINEERS are well paid by the Govt. beside that they have good source to earn lucrative sum by doing private consultancy works,drawing, site supervising the private construction works etc..  but again Allowance! !!  Policy makers don’t go after those vocal civil servants and think for rest of it. Bhutan’s civil servant number is little over 16000, no segregation please.

Very weird idea to think 16000 civil servants receiving same proportion of salary.  Ask this simple question why there is division of studies such as arts, commers or science right from the school days? I strongly feel doctors and engineers deserve 100% more than what they are given right now and these professionals should not be even under RCSC or at least there should be a fair representation of doctors and engineers in the RCSC( or as committee members).

Chethey
Our engineers are not well paid by the government as you say.They are like any other civil servant ruled by the grade or position they hold and are paid accordingly.  And from where Au_sa_lay_au heard about the allowance for the engineers. It was out of blue...or he is trying to give them incentive. But I would definitely agree that our engineers have good source of extra income, be it private consultancy or under the tables from contractors. It is well reflected in the quality of the constructions that is taking place in the country. Do they go and supervise the site or the bribe keeps them away from the site is a big question. Chang Jiji housing complex, Babesa Thimphu express way are the living examples that everyone can see as a proof of the quality of construction.
Well then, doctors and teachers got their incentives. Its because there is scarcity of the doctors and teachers, and the nature of the work they do. It is just the demand versus supply curve in economics. At any time if you take a survey of students in all the schools and ask them about their ambition, I am sure that almost more than 70% will choose doctors or engineers as their ambition. Then why do we have so much of scarcity in the profession. Why can’t most of the students cannot fulfill their ambition?
It takes hard work, sacrifice and sleepless night to become one. Our government gives us equal chance to study, and the teachers teaches everyone equally, but why some excells and some fails. Ofcourse teachers do make a lot of difference on performance of students. I feel the incentive for the teachers should have been based on the performance of the students in his subject. This would not only encourage the teachers to do their best, but improve the quality of the education.
I read somewhere, that doctors have chosen their profession by themselves, so should not be given the incentive. Yes or no? But who did not want to become one, I have, only if I have studied hard during the school days. I feel that hard works always pays in someway. We should not equate ourself with them. Any way, incentive to them is usually followed by the pay rise to other civil servants, so lets hope for it.

malika,

please read the first few words of the first line of my original post. i am sure, from there, you can make out from where i got that information about ‘scarcity allowance’ for our engineer.
i don’t think hard work really pays. what pays off in the end is licking the shoes(slippers) of the bosses and serving them officially and personally. if hard work pays.... donkeys would be the richest on earth.

Kuensel :4 August, 2007 “Allowance to retain doctors”. definitely heard about about the allowance to doctors and teachers, but no where mentioned about engineers,,,,,sorry if i miss quoted you.
Regarding the hard work, it is exactly what is happening in Bhutan. in Bhutan, instead of studying hard, one should learn to lick somebody’s ass unless you have someone to pull you through. well said !