The Bhutanese Leading the way.
During the 8th Sitting of the Second Session, the National Assembly continued discussing the action taken on the resolution passed during the First Session regarding the Motion of Good Governance Committee’s Review of the Managing for Excellence (MaX) in the Civil Service to do away with the forced ranking or Bell-Curve methodology used in the MaX system.
In the previous session, the Good Governance Committee had reported that 89% of civil servant attrition was linked to the moderation system under MaX. The committee recommended abolishing the Partially Meeting Expectations (PME) category and eliminating the use of the Bell-Curve methodology for performance evaluations.
The Prime Minister (PM) addressed the RCSC’s response to this resolution.
PM explained that while the National Assembly passed a resolution for these changes, the RCSC has mentioned, “The RCSC as an independent constitutional body retains the exclusive mandate to oversee civil service performance management. Thus, the resolution from the National Assembly serves as a recommendation and cannot compel changes to the MaX system.”
In response, PM emphasized the importance of maintaining the momentum of civil service transformation and delivering high standards of public service. PM reiterated that while the government cannot directly alter the MaX system, it remains committed to co-creating solutions with the RCSC to enhance civil servant motivation and performance.
RCSC pointed out the indicated gaps in data credibility, with claims that 89% of civil servant resignations were linked to MaX lacked sufficient research. Additionally, attrition rates in the education sector were inaccurately calculated.
In response, a formal study on civil servant migration done by RCSC revealed that family reasons and further education were the top reasons for resignation, not performance management.
The exit survey conducted by RCSC indicated that family and personal reasons (25.66%) was the highest, followed by further education (16.81%) and better opportunities (11.50%).
“The education sector, which constitutes 35% of the workforce, has seen significant fluctuations in attrition rates, with the education sector’s current attrition at 5.17%. However, compared to previous years (8.62% in 2022 and 16.33% in 2023), the attrition rate has decreased in 2024, reflecting improvements despite the ongoing implementation of the MaX system,” stated RCSC.
Through ongoing research and collaboration, including studies with institutions, like Harvard Extension School, RCSC is working to refine and strengthen the MaX system.
“Looking ahead, it is important to allow the MaX system time to mature and fully realize its potential,” states the RCSC, and further added, “The RCSC has appealed to Parliament to provide continued support for the system, emphasizing that the focus should be on professional handling of PME candidates. Instead of removing employees from the system, the priority should be on providing them with the necessary interventions to improve. Only if a better alternative emerges should the MaX system be reconsidered.”
The Chairperson of Good Governance Committee, Lhakpa Tshering Tamang, said, “The committee’s resolution seeks to abolish the forced ranking system within the MaX system, rather than the overall performance moderation framework.”
A NA press release said that after lengthy deliberations, the House did not accept the report, with only 18 out of the 46 Members present raising their hands in support. The motion adopted by the House remains open for further follow-up in the next session as per Section 103 of the Rules of Procedures of the National Assembly of Bhutan, 2022, which stipulates: If resolutions of the motion are not implemented by the end of next session, it shall be continued in the following sessions unless the Parliamentary tenure ends.
