Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal spearheaded a multi-party consultation on Thursday to finalize a comprehensive plan for civil service reforms, focusing on specialized recruitment. The government has agreed to implement recruitment through cluster-based examinations or distinct tests tailored to each occupational group.
Under the new framework, the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination will remain intact, but candidates will have the choice to take the exam in either English or Urdu. The reforms introduce an optional medium for compulsory CSS papers, allowing candidates to attempt all papers entirely in Urdu if they wish. Additionally, the CSS exam process will be fully digitized to enhance efficiency.
The recruitment cycle is proposed to be shortened to six months, with scholarships offered to the top 25 university entrants for executive leadership training abroad, aimed at senior officers. The plan also includes establishing the National University of Public Administration (NUPA) and merging existing training institutes such as the National Institute of Management (NIMs) to streamline training efforts.
Performance evaluation reports (PERs) will be revised to better assess outcomes, attributes, competency, and integrity, incorporating a new grading system among other improvements. A notable introduction is the National Executive Service (NES), designed for post-based specialized recruitment for Grade 20 and above federal positions across all services except Police and Foreign Service. NES appointments will be open, contract-based, and tied to predetermined key performance indicators (KPIs) for five-year terms, with the possibility of receiving a Special Professional Pay Scale.
Eligibility for NES will extend to candidates from the private sector, academia, and government, with the Prime Minister determining the percentage of positions allocated to NES. Recruitment will involve a Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) screening test followed by a competency-based assessment, including interviews. Remaining positions will be filled through promotion based on training and work performance.
Officers superseded twice will be retired after 25 years of service, retaining all entitled benefits. The passing threshold for CSS exams may be raised from 33% to 40%, eliminating negative marking, and incorporating GRE/SAT-style questions to evaluate analytical and logical reasoning skills. Affirmative action measures will continue, allowing additional attempts for unfilled quota seats for Balochistan, Sindh, minorities, and women.
Selection for candidates from MCMC, SMC, and NMC will be conducted through a competitive exam process, with a maximum of three attempts allowed. Officers failing to qualify after three tries may opt for early retirement. Training quality will be enhanced by improving instructor standards, curriculum, and methodology, reserving up to 50% of training time for domain-specific knowledge.
Officers from BS-17 to BS-20 grades will be required to complete two domain-specific short courses developed by their respective Specialized Training Institutes. Two committees appointed by the Prime Minister have recommended a thorough overhaul of recruitment, training, evaluation, promotion, and compensation systems for federal civil servants. Consensus was reached on 43 out of 46 recommendations.
Ahsan Iqbal highlighted that the committees studied civil service models from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, focusing on countries with Commonwealth traditions and parliamentary systems. These comparisons revealed that modern public administrations have evolved to become significantly more transparent, specialized, and merit-based.
Leave an opinion