The evolution of the national and international environment has considerably increased the complexity and importance of governance, requiring complete reforms of the public service.
Citizens largely urban, educated, middle class, young and notified of technology – with greater gender parity – has a very different whole of needs and aspirations than their counterparts 50 years ago.
Today, they expect a digital approach first of the provision of services, wish to be participants active in the process of policies development and can hold responsible government in real time via social media.
On the other hand, the expansion of the private sector and the devolution of multiple responsibilities towards the provinces have made the development of policies a multi-actor exercise with increasing complexity.
The global environment is also increasingly shaped by disruptive changes, including geopolitical changes, unprecedented technological progress, climate change, traditional and non -traditional security threats and economic shocks, which create greater uncertainty.
In an interconnected and globalized world, these trends affect all countries today like never before. The rise in protectionism, the weakening of multilateralism and the retirement of liberal democracy in the West have still complicated the international environment.
The public service system established in the British colonial era, lastly modified in 1973, remains largely incapable of navigating in uncertainty and complexity triggered by these factors.
There remains an institution based on permanence, hierarchical and generalist focused on administrative stability and internal control. The needs of modern governance, however, require an agile public service, focused on citizens and results in results.
During the previous PML-N government (2013-18), the Ministry (then appointed) of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms conducted a national advisory exercise comprising more than 200 sessions. He has initiated more than 5,000 citizens of all areas of life to formulate concrete proposals for public service reforms.
Two presentations on this subject were given to the Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and certain recommendations have been implemented. However, the political crisis induced in the name of Panamagate and the resulting political instability derailed this key reform initiative.
The PTI government, despite its notes promises and having borrowed the full plan of the reforms on our part, was unable to partially introduce some ideas, while an obsolete and archaic public service system has remained intact. The cells of the cell and the working group he established could not have made any significant change despite many meetings.
The current government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, faced the mantle to introduce prudent and structural reforms of the public service. To this end, the PM has created a civil service reform committee under the chairmanship of the author.
The Committee has since held 15 detailed meetings and re -engaged several stakeholders, notably academics, the business sector and government representatives, to update, refine and finalize concrete recommendations for reforms.
The committee conducted an in -depth study of public service reforms in more than 15 countries. He also studied in detail the HR practices of the Pakistani army, which maintains high levels of meritocracy in its ranks and has identified lessons that can be learned.
Based on these detailed studies, consultations, deliberations and previous experience, we strive to make the transition to the framework of the smart public service in Pakistan with the following characteristics:
Specialized: the “good person for the right job” is more necessary today than ever. Given the depth and extent of knowledge in the main sectoral fields, increased complexity and uncertainty, and the need to understand nuances of various political imperatives, knowledge of the field and specialized experience in various sectors have become key requirements for government officers.
Most countries of the world have changed decisively to ensure greater specialization among managers in the public service.
We must therefore adopt a specialized recruitment through the CSS exam to ensure that candidates with relevant knowledge and experience in the field can align their professional aspirations on related professional groups in the public service.
We must also institutionalize the lateral entry through a national executive service (NES) by opening a certain percentage of higher level positions in 20th year or more to all candidates in the private sector, the academic world and the government, to inject high quality professional human resources thanks to a competitive and transparent process. Many countries like New Zealand, Australia, the United States and India have developed successful models for such an executive service.
Merritocratic leadership and promoting: Currently, the public service has a rectangular organizational structure where almost all officers reach at least the 21st year, mainly on the basis of the mandate and seniority.
This must be changed into a pyramidal structure with performance -based promotions via a performance assessment system, as well as a biannual feedback process.
Second, we must improve the training provided to civil servants by creating the National University of Public Administration (NUPA) to supervise the improvement of the study program, pedagogy and quality of trainers, and integrate training in education and research.
Knowledge of the use of emerging technologies, such as AI and Megadata, as well as public-private partnerships and the development of emotional intelligence and empathy, should be included in the study program.
We must also make the selection process for the management course in mid-career (MCMC), the management course (SMC) and the national management course (NMC) more competitive. Officers who are unable to go to these courses and / or to the NES or another 20th year position should have a route to an early retirement.
The establishment’s division should be upgraded to an HR and organizational development division to manage human resources for the entire federal government. An objective, equitable and consecutive performance management system is essential for performance-based promotions and to discourage coherent suboptimal performance.
Responsible and focused on results: a key transformation necessary in the structure of the public service is to pass from “centered on the process” to “results focused”. Each ministry must articulate their vision, mission and values, set clear objectives and, above all, sign an annual “performance agreement” with the Prime Minister.
This should then result in individual key performance indicators (KPI) for officers and joint services. Everyone must be held responsible according to the results contained and their potential impact on the provision of services in the sectors concerned.
An independent performance observatory should be established in the firm division for the assessment of third -party performance of all government ministries and organizations, which should report to the government.
Rooted in people: the legitimacy of a bureaucracy is based not only on its competence, but also on its ability to reflect the diversity of the society it serves.
We must therefore provide a level field field to candidates of all sections of society and focus on the evaluation of critical thinking skills, analytical skills and the ability to build a persuasive and enlightened argument – not only linguistic prowess in English Shakespearean.
In 2022, around 99% of candidates failed the English test exam, which seems to promote the form rather than the substance. It therefore seems relevant to combine the test, accuracy and understanding in a single article, and to provide an option to candidates to try this in Ourdou or in English.
This reorientation will ensure that candidates of elite schools in English do not have an unfair advantage over their counterparts in Ourdou-Médium. In the long term, arrangements must be made to allow all subjects to be taken in Urdou. In addition, quota seats not filled with under-represented regions, minorities and women should be filled with positive action.
Compatible, innovative and transparent Technal: the digital revolution has changed the governance paradigm and the use of technology to ensure efficiency, transparency and decision -making reductions based on all the functions of public service management.
First, the complete automation of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), including its recruitment system, to reduce the recruitment cycle from two years to six months is necessary. Members of the private sector and civil society, including IT experts, must be included in the FPSC.
Second, performance management, performance agreements to individual performance evaluation reports (POS), must be digitized and processed via an online system. An online academy under the proposed Nupa should provide learning opportunities at the fingertips of civil servants. The performance dashboard should follow progress towards achieving results between the ministries.
In addition to the implementation of these recommendations, the rules of activity, as well as the general financial rules and PPRA, must also be examined in depth and updates. A clear separation between the development of policies, regulatory functions and implementation must be provided, as well as carrying out performance audits and the integration of corporate governance mechanisms for public enterprises and organizations for the provision of binding services to service standards.
Nearly 50 recommendations, in particular those highlighted in fields such as recruitment, training, performance management, institutional restructuring and remuneration, are part of a set of public service reforms presented to the Prime Minister, which is committed to carrying out transformative reforms of the public service and remains our best hope of preventing them from implementing them. However, this will require concerted efforts and support from all the stakeholders concerned.
There is no doubt that the achievement of objectives defined by the national agenda, such as Uraan Pakistan and Sifc, as well as shaping the fate that our nation deserves, critically depends on the reforms of the public service described above.
The writer is the Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. He tweets / publishes @betterpakistan
Warning: The points of view expressed in this play are the own writers and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of PK Press Club.TV.
Originally published in the news
