PPSC to undergo complete systematic overhaul

The Punjab Public Service Commission, a government agency responsible for hiring and administering the provincial civil services and management services in the province, has decided to undergo a complete departmental overhaul.

The move tails the publication of various examination papers advertised by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), for the recruitment of officers and employees in government departments. Per sources, the systematic restructuring is intended to salvage PPSC’s reputation in the province and allow for relevant examinations to be conducted under fair and impartial conditions.

In a bid to achieve this, it has been decided that interviews will now be conducted at the nearest centre through an online system, while network jammers will be installed at examination centres and a separate examination board will be formed. “This will prevent examination papers from being leaked in the future,” the source commented.

According to information received by The Express Tribune, two more regional offices are being set up at the new divisional headquarters of the PPSC in Gujranwala and Sahiwal. This is so that candidates belonging to the cities of these divisions can appear for the examination in the Regional Office itself.

Earlier, Multan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, DG Khan, and Rawalpindi Regional Offices were established in Sargodha. Now, a centralised command and control system is being introduced to Punjab Public Service Commission. Following which, all examinations will be monitored under one roof, and the online interview system will be routinely checked.

Furthermore, a special data bank is being set up at the institute, in which complete bio-data and other information of all the candidates will be preserved, while foolproof security will be provided to the members and officials of the Commission conducting the examinations.

Moreover, the agency’s officers and staff are required to work seven days a week to track the backlog of commissions that could not work for 107 days during the pandemic.

Currently, the total number of PPSC members, including the chairperson, stands at 21, out of which 16 members are working while six member posts have remained vacant for a while. As a result, the recruitment process in various departments is slowing down.

Whereas, six more members of the Punjab Public Service Commission are due for retirement in the next few months, after which the number of members in the Commission will be further reduced. As a result, examinations and interview schedules in the commission, that are already hampered due to lack of staff, may be affected. In this regard, it has been decided to process early appointment of members for the said vacancies, for which a letter is being written to the government.

Speaking on the matter, Punjab Public Service Commission Secretary Nawaz Khalid Arabi maintained that the PPSC’s performance is still better than other provinces. He further said that although the institution established in 1937, has undergone periodic reforms, but they are now introducing a system that offers a foolproof examination system, that will be made possible with a complete restructuring of the department.

Per Arabi, the PPSC is taking revolutionary measures to update its system, including monitoring of its performance through a standing order. “We take any government position within six months from a test, interview, and final decision and relocation. Whereas, the Federal Public Service Commission takes one to two-and-a-half years to complete this process,” he told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2021.