Wrong men for the job: Section officers can’t file, compile or reconcile

Most of 200 deputationists working at Pak secretariat lack relevant expertise.

ISLAMABAD:

Despite lacking the relevant skills and training, assistant professors, veterinary officers and other ex-cadre staff have been posted at the Federal Secretariat on deputation to carry forward the work of section officers (SOs), sources said.

Officials from different ministries and divisions have made several complaints that these inexperienced and inept officers should be sent back to their parent departments.

“Despite lodging several complaints about these officers to the high-ups, nobody is paying heed to the issue and we are blamed for delays in work,” an officer at the ministry of human rights said while asking not to be named.



“They have no experience in office management or secretarial work,” said a letter from the Establishment Division which was sent to senior bureaucrats on June 18.

The letter further stated that such officers cannot prepare file, record basic data, examine the facts and lack the ability and capacity to analyse things properly. “Subsequently, ministries and divisions surrender the officers on deputation due to lack of experience, low quality output and demand posting of experienced officers.”

According to sources, there are over 200 hundred such officers on deputation whom the ministries and divisions want to replace.

“Most of the files and summaries prepared by officers on deputation are reworked by me or senior officers as those on deputation fail to prepare complete documents,” said an officer at the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD).

Deputationists appointed as SOs soon consider it their right to be absorbed by the Office Management Group (OMG) on a regular basis. This practice is leading to a feeling of deprivation among officers who join the service through the proper channel — the Federal Public Service Commission.

Ministry of Education and Trainings Secretary Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri told The Express Tribune that the solution was simple, if the Establishment Division wanted to go through with it. “They should conduct a year-long training or offer some courses for such officers before allowing them to work in the federal secretariat.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th,2013.