Can the Public Services Be Reformed?

by Saybhan Samat

(October 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The public service has been the most maligned service in Sri-Lanka for a long time. With each passing year the criticisms of the public service grows. Both the United National Party and the Sri-Lanka Freedom party when in power have always voiced their intentions to reform the Public –Service but nothing has happened. What has in fact happened is that the public service has been politicized and made not only more inefficient but also corrupt. It would not be an exaggeration to say that corruption in the Public Services is rampant.

However there is presently a silver lining between the dark clouds. The Ministry of Finance Planning has been sensitive of this problem. In a welcome move the Ministry as a first step has sponsored a graduate training programme for 150 executive nominated by the Ministry. Those nominated are graduates recruited recently by the government under the employment of unemployed graduates scheme as well as under the normal recruitment procedures of the various ministries and departments.

The United Nations Development Fund provided a Project Preparation Facility (PPF) amounting to 1.8 million to Worldview Institute (WI) for this project. The present proposal contains a training package, which has been developed in consultation with the Post Graduate Institute of Management (PIM) of the Sri-Jayewardenepura University, designed with trainees from the Ministry of Finances and Planning as the primary target group. The training programme is expected to lead to a post graduate diploma from the PIM. The curriculum of study seeks to provide transversal knowledge that would equip recently recruited graduates to handle any assignment with a higher degree of competence perhaps after a short orientation, on location specific responsibilities. The proposed programme of training takes into account the time constraints faced by public servants in attending scheduled class room session based on the traditional methods of teaching. The training programme will be delivered essentially through a distance learning mode, employing blended learning methods.

Dr. Lloyd S. Fernando, former State Secretary to the Ministry of Policy Planning & Implementation and former Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank, presently the Director of Distance Learning at the PIM is heading this pioneer project. The course designed has several modern and innovative methods of teaching. In fact the present education system needs change. Students are presently assessed in a flawed manner, learning is only book oriented and only students who have memory power succeed. Endless tuition and cramming and reproducing memorized notes is passed off as criteria for intelligence, efficiency leadership and initiative.

The authorities in change of education would do well to note a few of the highlights in this programme.

“The traditional classroom system, based on scheduled lectures at regular periods is found not only to be unsuitable, but also redundant. A study on effective learning conducted in the US (The Art of Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter Senge) indicated the low effectiveness of lecture based system of learning. Percentage of knowledge retained by lecture 5% reading 10% audio –visual 20% demonstration 30% discussion group 50% learning by doing 75% teaching one to one 90%.”

Hence what is proposed in this programme is therefore to replace the lectures with learning modules, providing” capsule Knowledge” in an easy to absorb manner. What a lecturer normally does is to introduce the subject matter, draw the boundaries of learning, emphasize the most important aspects that have been covered, refer to the best learning materials (books, journals, documents and websites) and in the best instance provide some printed notes on the subject matter to be covered. The course modules delivered in this programme will use the inter-net to provide almost all the material that needs to be covered with guidelines for study, review, questions and exercises. They will be uploaded on to the website – www.dpa.pim.lk for either on-line or off-line learning. The material will be in printable form.

Another highlight will be group-learning. Groups of 20-25 participants are expected to meet fortnightly for sessions lasting approximately two hours each, to interact with each other on the course modules, to raise questions, receive answers from peers or make observations and comments on the subject matter based on their personal experiences and background of knowledge. A facilitator will guide the group learning sessions. All facilitators will be given an orientation on the tasks they have to perform through workshops, where necessary, attended by the module writers.

Still another highlight is- interactive CDS. Web uploaded modules (Printed where necessary) will be supplemented with interactive CDs that will contain texts, graphics, diagrams and exercises supported by voice delivery. In fact the interactive CD becomes a better teaching/learning aid as the teacher/ lecturer is always present.

For the sake of brevity four highlights were quoted. More details of the superiority of this method of learning could be obtained from Dr. Lloyed S. Fernando Director of Distance Learning Post Graduate Institute of Management. The Course is a unique method of training, specifically designed to promote professionalism, creative ability and attitudinal change of participants.

The main opportunity for the success of the project is the recognition by the Government of the need to use the talent and desire of the newly recruited graduates to perform, in promoting productivity in the public service. The initiative of the Ministry of Finance in regard to this project is a reflection of that recognition, creating an opportunity from the project’s success. The experience gained in the successful implementation of the project in the Ministry of Finance will create opportunities in other ministries and departments. Perhaps even the Ministry of Education can examine this new and unique method of teaching/ learning and extend it to the universities and then to the schools.

However any learning or teaching system will not succeed in the Public Service unless the service is cleansed off politics and political-interfence. Today the Public Service is politicized to such an extent that recrument, transfers and promotions are done according to political decisions, not based on any acceptable criteria. The problem does not lie in implementing a brilliant learning programme that is very modern and innovative, but in the prevailimng interfence in our Public service. - Sri Lanka Guardian