Press Summary from the 11^th Friday Meet held on 5^th April 2019

 ‘Proposal to raise the school stipend and Nutritious food in Schools and Hospitals with local produce’

 The government has stressed that our children whom we consider our future should be fed nutritious meal. This need is increasingly felt as we work to towards employment in the agriculture sector, government buy-back scheme, revamping the role of farm-shops, Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCBL) and Bhutan Post with cold chain storage and distribution system. All these should ultimately increase the local produce, reduce import, generate employment and cater to provide qualitative rather than quantitative food to our children and Bhutanese at large.

Towards this initiative, the government felt the need to increase the stipend for our children in schools and institutions.

In line to this, the Ministry of Education proposed to raise the stipend to Nu.2040 per child per month from the existing rate of Nu.1000 per child per month for boarders and to increase the stipend to Nu.680 per child per month from Nu.335 per child per month for day scholars in central schools. The proposed amount is to improve the quality of food served in the schools.

The first National Dietary Assessment of school feeding carried out in 2017 assessed the nutrition intake of students in feeding schools across the country, especially boarding students. Reports show that most micronutrients did not meet the age specific requirements particularly in the higher age groups. If the proposal comes through, the Ministry is planning to implement it starting next Fiscal Year (2019-2020).

While reviewing the proposal to increase the stipend, the need was felt to meet the school feeding requirements with our local produce. Accordingly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF) was asked to develop a strategic plan to meet the school feeding requirements (vegetable, fruits, cereals, livestock products) with domestic production to ensure food safety and promote local economy.

As a follow-up to the Government’s decision to provide nutritious diet to the schools, a task force consisting of members from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, State of Enterprises (Food Corporation of Bhutan, Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation Limited and Farm Mechanization Corporation Limited) and MoAF (Department of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives and Department of Livestock) were formed. The team is in the process of developing the strategy to meet the school feeding program and will gradually expand to hospitals with local produce. Several rounds of discussion have already taken place and the first draft of the strategy is expected to be ready by end of this month.

While enhancing the school feeding programs, the Ministry will continue to support our farmers through assured market. It is crucial that they receive better opportunities both in terms of price and market.

Besides enhancing the production, the Ministry is looking at improving value addition and post-harvest management practices. The Ministry aims to be able to supply basic nutritional food items to all schools and hospitals by 2021.

The government believes that our agrarian society can enhance into cooperative commercial farming and ensures the full support to our farmers and students. The capital that we can inject in the field of agriculture can be strategized to support local produce and economy reducing the encumbrance on importation.

Our children are the future leaders of our nation. Our future must be secured and this is an initiation towards building our future leaders. So, let’s feed them qualitatively and not just quantitatively.

‘Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)’

Discerning the mismatch between available jobs and the skills of our job seekers, our education system needs a serious scrutiny. We are aware that Technical and Vocational Education and Training is one of the answers to it for both local needs as well exporting skilled labor to the developed countries. The government has plans to facelift TVET.

The 19^thNational Education Conference resolved to start TVET education in schools starting 2020. The Ministry plans to make TVET as the fourth stream adding upon Arts, Science and Commerce.  As a pilot project, seven higher secondary schools will start TVET as the fourth stream in the 2020 academic year.

While TVET has been deemed important, the government is reviewing its distinction and status to be either placed under the Ministry of Education or Ministry of Labour and Human Resources or as an autonomous agency.

Multiple stake holders such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Human Resources, the National Council, experts have been and will be further consulted on the way forward for furthering the cause of TVET.

‘Merger of the three Referral Hospitals and delinking the staff of the Regional Referral Hospitals from the civil service’ 

Health has been accorded one of the highest priorities in our nation with free clinical, medical and referral services provide by the state.

With one of the best primary health care service in the region, it is timely that we now work to cater the best secondary and tertiary health services to all.

In lieu to providing efficient service delivery, one of the common problems faced in hospitals these days is the shortage of human resource.

One primary reason the current government is working on the merger and autonomy of the three Referral Hospitals (RHs) is HR management. Bhutan has a limited pool of specialists/sub-specialists, and a majority of them are concentrated in JDWNRH. This initiative will allow these pools of specialists to render services in three referral hospitals with timely assessment and requirement providing critical services equitably, which is currently restricted.

In regard to the query on delinking HR personnel of the three RHs from RCSC; HE informed the press that a concept note to delink personnel from the three referral hospitals has already been prepared and the government will take it up as soon as the new civil service commission is formed.

The merger and delinking process will be a gradual, well planned and meticulously strategized process.

Services are the right of the people and responsibility of the government. The government will not compromise on the delivery of services related to the health of our people.

‘Breast feeding allowance’

We are well-aware that for a child to grow healthy and boost their immunity, proper breast feeding practice is crucial, rather a must.

The government recognizing the importance of breast feeding for our child has devised the scheme ‘Accelerating Mother and Child Health’ (AMCH) is being formulated. The government’s intent for institutionalizing such a scheme is to take care of our children from the day they are conceived till the day they go to school.

A blueprint on how to address the children’s need for the first 1000 days of their lives has been developed and the government is exploring for resources to execute it. The Finance Ministry is currently reviewing the blueprint.

The impact of AMCH would be boundless, and it will improve the overall cognitive abilities of our children in the long run.

This initiative will not only contribute to the overall economic and social well-being of our nation through a well-educated population and knowledge based society but foster healthy future for our children, thereby the future of our country.