Revamp: Govt to reform K-P Public Service Commission

Muzaffar Said forms committee to table recommendations.

PESHAWAR: The government has decided to reform the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission (KPPSC) in a bid to revamp the civil bureaucracy and make the recruitment process efficient and transparent.

During a meeting with representatives of law, health and information departments on Tuesday, Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said constituted a committee and a sub-committee to table recommendations before the next meeting.

The minister was informed the KPPSC’s slow recruitment process is unable to meet the needs of other departments. He was told it takes at least two years to fill vacancies. During this period, contract employees are hired who upon the completion of their tenure approach the court for the regularisation of their jobs.

Speaking at the meeting, KPPSC representatives said the commission itself was understaffed and lacked resources. They said the commission is responsible for making even clerical appointments and therefore overburdened. They urged the minister to allow departments to recruit officials below Grade-16 on their own in compliance with rules. It was also suggested to set up a separate directorate and human resource wing for KPPSC.

“The committees have analysed Indian, Nepali and other Asian public service commission models. We will recommend changes in light of our findings,” an official who attended the meeting told The Express Tribune.

During the meeting, Said was informed the National Testing Service has become “a money-minting institution that fleeces poor students.”

Sharing the burden

Speaking to The Express Tribune about the tabled recommendations, the minister said KPPSC has not been able to achieve its objectives due to a lack of resources.

Citing the education department’s example which recruits 75% of its employees on its own, he said the remaining employees should also be recruited by the department to reduce the commission’s burden. “Tehsildars should also be recruited by local administrations. Officials from Grade-16 and above should be appointed by the KPPSC,” he said. The minister added the recommendations be tabled soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2015.