PM on performance compacts
The implementing authorities, upon failing to live up to the commitments made by signing a performance compact, will have the moral obligation of admitting that they have failed by submitting their resignation, receiving a reprimand or being embarrassed by the media, Prime Minister said at the cabinet’s monthly meeting with the press on Wednesday.
“If the media embarrasses us, it’s the people who are embarrassing us; who are telling us that we are not worthy,” he said. Compacts were signed on the priority activities and targets that the organizations must fulfill against certain time frame and resources.
Till date, five ministries have signed performance compacts with Prime Minister pledging to complete priority targets within a certain time frame. The first performance compacts were signed on December 2009 between Prime Minister and the health ministry, information ministry, and the Tourism Council of Bhutan.
Last month, the education ministry and labour ministry signed their performance compacts.
McKinsey was brought in to give the government the tools through which to achieve its targets. Lyonchhen said that, while the government was clear about the targets, goals and vision, it wasn’t clear on how those ends could be achieved. “We were worried from day one,” he said. So the specific programmes and proposals designed by the ministries and McKinsey group to help achieve the national objectives were debated, and those best suited to Bhutan’s development vision were adopted.
“The media must help the cabinet – Prime Minister – in ensuring that these compacts are effective,” Lyonchhen said, adding that the government now has the tools by which the ministers, secretaries, and DGs, among others, could be held accountable against specific targets.
“Otherwise, the general bureaucratic culture takes over – to immerse ourselves and justify the spending of our time clearing the files that come on our table. When you prioritize and sign compacts, you have to decide as to how much of time you can really afford to give and focus on what is more important,” he said.
Lyonchhen said that compact signing should go all the way down – between Prime Minster and the ministers, the ministers and the secretaries, the secretaries and the department heads, and down the hierarchy.
Meanwhile, activities gearing towards fulfilling the set targets are already underway. The health ministry will provide access to healthcare for everyone within one hour using ICT-enabled services, improve quality of services and instill a culture focused on patient needs.
The tourism council will make Bhutan a premium, exclusive destination of choice attracting 100,000 ecologically- and culturally-conscious tourists which will generate employment for 25,000 people with corresponding GDP growth.
The education ministry commits to improving the overall learning system by deepening holistic learning in schools, increasing access to primary and secondary education with net enrollment of 100 percent and 75 percent respectively, and raising percentage of teachers satisfied with the profession from 24 percent in 2009 to 70 percent in 2013.
The labour ministry commits to increasing the annual number of vocational education and training (VET) graduates from 500 to 6,000, increasing the employability of graduates from 50 percent to 80 percent, and decreasing government expenditure to less than Nu 85,000 per capita by 2013.
The targets will be measured and monitored on a regular frequency, the Performance Facilitation Unit, and Prime Minister will be briefed on a weekly basis.
Source: bhutanobserver