Friday, September 9, 2016

What good is your Degree and Masters if you don’t have the decency to talk politely?

This morning at 10:33 am, I had a missed call from a landline number. I was in the class and couldn't hear the ring. Also, it is not expected to answer any calls while teaching. After the class at around 11:15 I saw it and made a return call. A man answered from the other end. I asked I missed the call because I was in the class and may I know who’s this? The answer came, “Ga ina mashey pa chin, ga lu call chap mo” (Why did you call if you don’t know who’s at the other end) and he put the phone down. I was like….what the heck?

Of no fault of mine I was answered rudely. I called back again and after a pretty long ring, someone answered. This time it was a lady. I told I was just asking which office is this because I got a missed call from this landline number. The lady replied saying sorry we don’t know who called but this is the Ministry of Education office. Then I introduced myself. I told her, I want to talk to the man who answered the phone earlier. She told me nothing about him. Instead she begged sorry on his behalf. You see now, one phone call  tarnished the image of people working in the MoE.

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Firstly, I made a call because there was a missed call. Unmindful of being ignorant who called, I get an answer mocking me for calling. Secondly, a lady answers apologizing and being sorry for the man who answered my call. This isn’t a new thing and this ins’t the first time I am being answered rudely for no fault of mine. Why aren’t most civil servants polite over the phones? I am ashamed mentioning that I work for the MoE and people at the head office are so rude that they even don’t have the decency to be humble while answering a call.

To the man who answered my call, ‘What good is your degree/masters and exposure you got out of the training's abroad if you don’t have the decency to talk politely over the phone? You are a worm in the bureaucracy of ours and people like you eat away the hard work teachers like we put for this nation. And I am intimidated at the very fact, how did someone like you end up working in the Ministry when you don’t know the most basic of human functions-speech? Such people work for the Sherig Lhyenkhag.’

God bless us, because teachers far and wide may call to seek help but if the person speaking at the other end is like the one I mentioned, I will surely lose my motivation and faith in the Ministry for which I am working and to which I am answerable to.
The next time you say ‘Hello’, dear teachers, pray that this person doesn’t answer you! For now I have saved the number should there arise any retribution and retaliations in future.

Happy Calling Folks!


6 comments:

  1. Wow! If this happened in our local MOE, it would be big news inside the Facebook media and maybe newspapers later on!

    This is rude encounter serves as a training for us to endure such people and to practise calmness too. I do meet such people sometimes and reminded myself that bigots and morons are born every minute in this world. The rate is alarming, so it's better for me to be more tolerant. Happy weekend my friend!

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    1. Tolerance has a limit mate. When that brim is overflowed, I don't think anything can hold back the inferno that has been burning for a pretty long time. The bottom line however is these sort of habits are deeply embedded in our system. It would take decades for this to change, my presumption.

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  2. Hello sir,
    In line with your say over here, I have also similar story to be narrated. i have been just waiting for the right forum to do so.

    I am very new into the civil servant system, as a graduate of 2015. It is just about six months that i have been doing a job. I am not very aware of the system, to be frank. I am on the rise to learn.
    My responsibility is of documenting and reporting, let's say basically a writing. For this, i need to contact various people asking for the information and the data since the pre-documenations and the references are very rare.
    Therefore, recently, i was making a call to a person-Agriculture Extension upon the recommendation of several other people. I made the call with full of positive expectations. But it didn't go that way.
    That person was very ignorant and very aggressive. you won't believe, he even used the slang languages. I felt being harassed right there because it was during office hours and it was for official use. I don't know what that guy is doing in the system if his treatment is same with all others.
    Me, as a young girl or as a youth in the civil servants, i felt discouraged. I at times even lost the faith and the excitement in the work.
    My direct conclusion as a new employee is like 'finally, i am knowing why the system in our country is not efficient and effective.'
    Some people are just occupying their post, for no benefits to the nation. People are not responding well, they are not giving any information or they are not doing either.
    You know, its more than a month now that i have been asking another Ranger sir to provide me the information under his jurisdiction. At first, he agreed to do immediately. I have waited for three days. He made no sign. I called him from my phone, he didn't respond. I drop him the message. Again, i have waited for another three days. He made no sign again. Finally, i called him through my office line, Land line, he responded. I begged him to provide me the information as agreed. He asked me to make a format for the information i am looking for and have it sent to his email. I did it. And it is more than a week now. I haven't received any mail. Now, i am feeling ashamed myself to call again. I am thinking like i have to quit doing that work.
    So, these are the things in the system. I don't know. I think i am gradually losing my hopes and faiths in working.

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    1. Dear Karma,
      Some people are genuine in their intent while working and some, do it like as if if was forced upon them forgetting that they are getting paid for the work they are so sluggishly performing. Salary has become a right irrespective of the performance for some civil servants. This is gross negligence of one's duties. Calls have become a means and a medium where most works can be done but for some people, they have forgotten the most basic of the human functions-Speech. Such people should not be allowed to work for the civil service. RCSC should do some serious social interviews on people. It's deeply saddening. Such people mostly come in the form of officers, leaders and bosses. Shame on them to have called themselves the Civil servants of Bhutan.

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  3. I also came across such people talking and being rude over humans. These people are not humans

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