Poor education, brain drain, archaic assessment methods blamed as posts remain vacant. STOCK IMAGE
The latest report by the Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan – the country’s top recruiting body – has neatly encapsulated the deplorable state of civil services here. It was found that of 1,466 posts sanctioned for successful candidates of the competitive Central Superior Services examination, 262 seats remained vacant from 2009 to 2013, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Additionally, the FPSC recruited 3,306 candidates for technical and professional ex-cadre posts from BS-17 to BS-21 (non-CSS) during this period (2009 to 2013). Interestingly, more than 5,776 posts go vacant in technical and professional ex-cadre posts from BS-17 to BS-22.
“The entire system needs urgent revision and revamping,” states the FPSC report. “The standard of education is deteriorating across the board in all disciplines.”
A steadily growing trend of relying on substandard materials and guide books has impacted research and creative thinking in candidates, the report adds. Those who excel academically lean towards higher education outside Pakistan, and in most cases, prefer to seek employment abroad as well, it was observed.
“Globalisation and a technological revolution have posed severe challenges to our traditional structure of governance in the last three decades,” explained Ahmed Bux Lehri, a member of the FPSC. At the moment, talented individuals are choosing to join the corporate sector rather than the civil service.
Meanwhile, retired bureaucrat Farooq Kazi suggested that a revision in the existing syllabus of the CSS is the need of the hour – the syllabus has not been changed since it was introduced in 1981. “A lot of posts here go vacant due to a poor mechanism for quotas in civil services.”
Former HEC chairman Dr Attaur Rehman said Pakistan’s primary education system is ‘a complete mess’ owing to a vast difference between private and government school systems. “The presence of incompetent faculty members in institutions, the urban and rural divide, a communication gap between students, nepotism, defective syllabi and demerit systems are the basic stumbling blocks in our progress,” he said.
State Education Minister Balighur Rehman said earlier this month that he wanted to declare an ‘education emergency’, until the inclusion of every child in school. He pledged to send his recommendations and a review of the education system, as well as postings under the CSS exam, to the prime minister. “We want an overhaul in the civil service structure, but this is taking time,” he said.
The FPSC’s latest report suggested that educational criteria for those undertaking the CSS be increased from 14 years of education to 16 years, in line with international practices.
CSS examinations from 2009-2013
Only 3,467 (5.3 per cent) of 64,368 candidates passed the written test component of the CSS examination from 2009 to 2013. Additionally, 1,203 of 1,466 posts were filled during this period. A total of 71 posts remained vacant in 2013, 30 in 2012, 45 in 2011, 66 in 2010 and 50 posts in 2009, the report added.
The ratio of candidates who cleared the written tests of the CSS examination was 1.5 per cent in 2013, 5.5 per cent in 2012, 6.7 per cent in 2011, 5.4 per cent in 2010 and 10 per cent in 2009.
Some 238 of 15,998 students passed their written tests in 2013, 799 of 14,335 in 2012, 883 of 13,071 in 2011, 642 of 11,888 in 2010 and 905 of 9,056 candidates in 2009.
Technical and professional ex-cadre posts
The FPSC received 0.629 million applications from 2009 to 2013 for technical and professional ex-cadre posts of BS-17 to BS-21 from 2009 to 2013. Of these, 3,306 candidates were recruited. The commission interviewed 15,827 successful candidates and recommended 4,571 candidates for appointment during this time.
The FPSC advertised 1,690 posts, and recommended 449 candidates for appointment in 2013. More than 141,665 candidates applied for these posts.
In 2012, the FPSC received 134,252 applications for 650 advertised posts. The commission interviewed 3,231 candidates while it recommended 929 candidates for appointment in 2012.
In 2011, the recruiting body advertised 2,477 posts and received 140,586 applications. Some 2,407 candidates qualified for interview while the commission recommended 890 candidates for appointment.
The commission recommended 1,383 candidates for appointment to 3,176 advertised posts in 2010. More than 110, 444 candidates submitted their applications.
In 2009, the commission recruited 920 candidates against 3,306 advertised posts where it conducted interviews of 3,357 applicants.
Posts lying vacant from BS-17 to BS-22
There are 120 sanctioned posts but only 98 are currently occupied. Around 22 positions of BS-22 have yet to be filled while there are around 500 sanctioned posts for BS-21. Around 96 posts remained vacant in BS-21, 212 in BS-20, 793 in BS-19, 803 in BS-18 and 3,850 vacant posts in BS-17.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2015.
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When ministers appoint their own unqualified relatives in choice positions why would a bright young man choose a career where he will never achieve success?? Going abroad is the answer.
In further elaboration to my point previously kindly as a starter read "The Decline of the Civil Service" by Zafar Iqbal in Dawn newspaper editorial dated May 26, 2006. You can google it also!
Army intervention in few of css departments is also the cause for people not much interested in pursuing a career in civil services.
Follow the example set by on learning of former senior bureaucrat (late) Zafar Iqbal. Follow his vision then problem will be sorted out when it comes to overhauling this sector. His analysis which he envisioned when he won case against CSS restructuring during ZAB era! An honest, upright CSS officer who till his last breath stood for the betterment of this country. His last envisioning of Greenstar Social Marketing which envisioned social marketing endeavors and has acted as a positive limelight for this third world developing nation. He was instrumental back then during 1980s in making (now defunct) NDFC. A true management and bureaucratic genius! He was my uncle! May God rest his soul in peace aameen!
Revamping of the bureaucracy alone is not enough. It has to be coupled with complete revamping of the education system as well for it to be succesful. Secondly unless the chief executive of the country and the concerned minister are not fully conversant with the ills pervading the present system, have a clear vision of what aims are desired to be met through revamping and Themselves know how to go about carrying out the revamping, its not going to make any difference. To rely on bureuacrats to restructure or revamp bureaucracy is similar to asking the devil to set the wrong doers right.
My beautiful country i love you,
Civil services revamping impossible because bureaucracy has crossed its limits and reached there where its correction/revamping has been impossible and the government is always blackmailed by the bureaucracy.....