I am shocked. Something is totally amiss here. It is as if something or someone is directing events from behind the scene in such a way that Bhutan is steadily being steered on a course of self-destruction and chaos. I get the feeling that some mischief is afoot.
Yes, I am talking of the rumored appointment of the Director of CST, Phuentsholing as the new MD/CEO of the Bhutan Telecom Ltd. How the hell has that happened? It totally blows my mind. With due respect to all the brilliant minds who must have got together to set the criterion for the selection of the new CEO/MD of BTL, I have this question: How did an educator get to qualify to take the reins of a high technology commercial entity engaged in a highly specialized field of operation? It baffles me - how does a serving academician fit into a job that requires marketing skills, a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the technological trends and developments in the three core areas of the Corporation’s business, knowledge and expertise in innovative product design and packaging etc.? Can he even understand the language the techies who make up the bulk of the Corporation’s workforce, speak?
By no means I am inferring that the Director of the CST is an incompetent person. In fact I am told that he has been doing a great job at the CST. But, no one may refute that an educator’s competencies lie elsewhere. Actually, this reminds me of a funny ad of the Naukri.com that I use to see on TV. In that ad, an extremely competent cricketer is shown pounding away with his bat at a dhobi ghat - performing the job of a dhobi.
While one aspect of the issue is that of a wrong person in a wrong job, the other aspect is that we are wasting an extremely rare talent that the country sorely lacks - that of a competent educator. In my understanding, the Director of CST cannot be of a run-of-the-mill kind of a person. He must possess some outstanding qualities and be suitably educated and trained to head and oversee a premier educational institution such as the CST. How did the government release him?
Clearly this is a double whammy situation. What is happening here is that we are loosing an established and respected educator on the one hand and, on the other, we are putting the same rare talent in a job that he is not suited for. In the process, we are endangering one of the most successful and profitable public companies that have grown from strength to strength over the years. We need the BTL to be headed by someone who can not only count on the support and respect of the company’s numerous staff, but also with an expertise and the vision to take the company forward in this increasingly competitive business environment.
The government needs to intervene and take stock of the situation before disaster happens.
Yes, I am talking of the rumored appointment of the Director of CST, Phuentsholing as the new MD/CEO of the Bhutan Telecom Ltd. How the hell has that happened? It totally blows my mind. With due respect to all the brilliant minds who must have got together to set the criterion for the selection of the new CEO/MD of BTL, I have this question: How did an educator get to qualify to take the reins of a high technology commercial entity engaged in a highly specialized field of operation? It baffles me - how does a serving academician fit into a job that requires marketing skills, a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the technological trends and developments in the three core areas of the Corporation’s business, knowledge and expertise in innovative product design and packaging etc.? Can he even understand the language the techies who make up the bulk of the Corporation’s workforce, speak?
By no means I am inferring that the Director of the CST is an incompetent person. In fact I am told that he has been doing a great job at the CST. But, no one may refute that an educator’s competencies lie elsewhere. Actually, this reminds me of a funny ad of the Naukri.com that I use to see on TV. In that ad, an extremely competent cricketer is shown pounding away with his bat at a dhobi ghat - performing the job of a dhobi.
While one aspect of the issue is that of a wrong person in a wrong job, the other aspect is that we are wasting an extremely rare talent that the country sorely lacks - that of a competent educator. In my understanding, the Director of CST cannot be of a run-of-the-mill kind of a person. He must possess some outstanding qualities and be suitably educated and trained to head and oversee a premier educational institution such as the CST. How did the government release him?
Clearly this is a double whammy situation. What is happening here is that we are loosing an established and respected educator on the one hand and, on the other, we are putting the same rare talent in a job that he is not suited for. In the process, we are endangering one of the most successful and profitable public companies that have grown from strength to strength over the years. We need the BTL to be headed by someone who can not only count on the support and respect of the company’s numerous staff, but also with an expertise and the vision to take the company forward in this increasingly competitive business environment.
The government needs to intervene and take stock of the situation before disaster happens.
It has to do with the PC system which is supposed to be merit-based (read qualifications) and selection done through a competitive process after announcement of the vacant post. Concentration seems to be in these areas and as such, the higher the qualifications, the more chances that you will fill in the post. Otherwise, why would there be highly qualified and skilled professionals in administrative posts? They also must come from different occupational groups, so how is an appointment from one occupational group to another justified? Keeping this scenario in mind, where does another aspect of the PCS, i.e., “equal pay for equal value of work” fit in ? The people skilled in particular fields will naturally try to climb up the professional ladder when they see none in their own line of work, and especially when the PCS allows it. Anyways, coming to your article, may be the appointment of the Director of CST, Phuentsholing as the new MD of Bhutan Telecom is just that - a rumour. May be nothing to fret about, right ? Anon.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.
As a corporation, isn't BTL out of the PCS?
Yeah, may be, but the it's the loss of the civil service when its talents veer off because of opportunities presented/blocked by the PCS. Anon.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Anon thinks that RCSC is stretching its arms over BTL or he's utterly not aware BTL is outside the domain of the RCSC.
ReplyDeleteBut what we can deduce from his post is that he's one guy who is affected by PCS, supposedly negatively!
No, Anonymous; in fact am far from being a casualty of the PCS. Anon.
ReplyDeleteIt's DHI up to their tricks, plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked as well. But, my concern lies more on the fact that we are losing experienced and capable academicians to the corporate world. Why is this happening...is the system/society responsible and encouraging it? Has value of education degenerated to this level that it has lost all intrinsic motivation to be contributing toward education for the sake of education and knowledge. How can we ever develop expertise and knowledge resource for the future of education in Bhutan if everybody is only expected to become jack of all trades...mind u we r also fiercely driven by the rhetoric of building 'knowledge economy' but i doubt how many understand what it means in the real sense...
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the current MD of BTL, is he retiring?
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThe current (no longer current) MD has taken over BBS as its CEO.
Now again who will be the new CEO of BTL? as the old ceo's contract terms in BT is going to end from next month.
ReplyDelete