In many low-income countries, teachers and doctors are often underpaid. That’s no longer the case in the country of Bhutan. In a move earning that’s been earning high praise, the small Himalayan kingdom has announced that the salaries of teachers, nurses, doctors, and all medical staff will be hiked to make them the highest paid civil servants in the country.
The move was made to ensure that professionals were paid higher in order to turn over the unofficial civil service ‘hierarchy’, where administration officials enjoyed training, trips, and other perks while overworked teachers in the same ranks of civil service may not even have a proper chair to sit on. Doctors who are saving lives night and day also did not enjoy the same benefits as administrative figures.
For many Bhutanese individuals who seek employment in the civil service, teaching is one of their last options and they will only join the profession if they do not qualify for other posts. With the new pay structure, that is likely to change, which help the country retain experienced teachers in the sector.
