A SMART civil service

The evolving domestic and international environment has significantly augmented the complexity and importance of governance, necessitating comprehensive civil service reforms.

The largely urban, educated, middle-class, young and tech-savvy citizenry – with greater gender parity today – has a very different set of needs and aspirations than their counterparts 50 years ago. 

Today, they expect a digital-first approach to service delivery, want to be active participants in the policymaking process and can hold the government accountable in real-time through social media. 

On the other hand, the expansion of the private sector and devolution of multiple responsibilities to provinces have made policymaking a multi-actor exercise with rising complexity.

The global environment is also increasingly shaped by disruptive changes, including geopolitical shifts, unprecedented technological advancements, climate change, traditional and non-traditional security threats and economic shocks, which create greater uncertainty. 

In an interconnected and globalised world, these trends affect every country today like never before. The rise of protectionism, weakening of multilateralism and retreat of liberal democracy in the West have further complicated the international environment.

The civil service system established during the British colonial era, last modified in 1973, remains grossly incapable of navigating the uncertainty and complexity unleashed by these factors. 

It remains a tenure-based, hierarchical and generalist institution focused on administrative stability and internal control. The needs of modern governance, however, necessitate an agile, citizen-centric and results-oriented civil service.

During the previous PML-N government (2013-18), the (then named) Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms led a national consultative exercise comprising over 200 sessions. It engaged over 5,000 citizens from all spheres of life to formulate concrete proposals for civil service reforms. 

Two presentations on this were given to then prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and some recommendations were implemented. However, the induced political crisis in the name of PanamaGate and resultant political instability derailed this key reform initiative.

The PTI government, despite its lofty promises and having borrowed the complete blueprint of reforms from us, was only able to partially introduce a few ideas, while an obsolete and archaic civil service system remained intact. The reforms cell and task force it established couldn’t make any significant changes despite numerous meetings.

The current government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, took on the mantle of introducing prudent and structural civil service reforms. For this purpose, the PM established a Committee on Civil-Service Reforms under the chairmanship of the author. 

The committee has since held 15 detailed meetings and re-engaged multiple stakeholders, including academics, the corporate sector and government officials, to update, refine and finalise concrete recommendations for reforms. 

The committee conducted an extensive study of civil service reforms in over 15 countries. It also studied in detail the HR practices of the Pakistan Army, which maintains high levels of meritocracy in its ranks, and identified lessons that can be learned.

Based on these detailed studies, consultations, deliberations, and previous experience, we endeavour to make the transition to the SMART civil service framework in Pakistan with the following features:

Specialised: The adage ‘right person for the right job’ is more needed today than ever before. Given the depth and breadth of knowledge in key sectoral areas, increased complexity and uncertainty, and the need to understand the nuances of various policy imperatives, domain knowledge and specialised experience in various sectors have become key requirements for government officers. 

Most countries in the world have moved decisively in the direction of ensuring greater specialisation among civil service cadres.

We must therefore adopt specialised recruitment through the CSS exam to ensure that candidates with relevant domain knowledge and experience can align their career aspirations with related occupational groups in the civil service. 

We must also institutionalise lateral entry through a National Executive Service (NES) by opening a certain percentage of senior-level positions at Grade 20 or above to all candidates from the private sector, academia, and government, to inject high-quality professional human resources through a competitive and transparent process. Many countries such as New Zealand, Australia, US and India have developed successful models for such a senior executive service.

Meritocratic and fostering leadership: Currently, the civil service has a rectangular organisational structure where almost all officers rise to at least Grade 21, primarily on the basis of tenure and seniority. 

This must be changed to a pyramid structure with performance-based promotions through a multi-tier performance evaluation system, as well as a biannual feedback process. 

Secondly, we must upgrade the training provided to civil servants by establishing the National University of Public Administration (NUPA) to oversee improvements in curriculum, pedagogy and the quality of trainers, and integrate training with education and research.

Knowledge of using emerging technologies, such as AI and big data, as well as public-private partnerships and the development of emotional intelligence and empathy, should be included in the curriculum. 

We must also make the selection process for Mid-Career Management Course (MCMC), Senior Management Course (SMC) and National Management Course (NMC) more competitive. Officers who are unable to make it to these courses and/or the NES or another Grade 20 position should have a route to honourable early retirement.

The Establishment Division should be upgraded to an HR and Organisational Development Division to manage human resources for the entire federal government. An objective, fair and consequential performance management system is essential for performance-based promotions and to discourage consistent sub-optimal performance.

Accountable and outcomes-oriented: A key transformation needed in civil service structure is to change it from ‘process-centred’ to ‘outcomes-oriented’. Every ministry must articulate its vision, mission, and values, set clear goals, and importantly, sign an annual ‘performance agreement’ with the prime minister. 

This should then translate into individual key performance indicators (KPIs) for the officers and attached departments. Everyone must be held accountable based on agreed-upon outcomes and their potential impact on service delivery in the relevant sectors. 

An independent performance observatory should be established in the Cabinet Division for third-party performance evaluation of all ministries and government organisations, which should report to the government on outcomes.

Rooted in people: The legitimacy of a bureaucracy rests not only on its competence, but also on its ability to mirror the diversity of the society it serves. 

We must therefore provide a level playing field to candidates from all sections of society and focus on assessing critical thinking skills, analytical skills and the ability to construct a persuasive and informed argument – not merely linguistic prowess in Shakespearean English.

 In 2022, around 99% of candidates failed the English essay exam, which appears to favour form over substance. It seems pertinent, therefore, to combine the essay, precis and comprehension into one paper, and provide an option for candidates to attempt this either in Urdu or English.

This reorientation will ensure that candidates from elite English-medium schools do not have an unfair advantage over their Urdu-medium counterparts. In the long term, arrangements should be made to allow all subjects to be taken in Urdu. Also, unfilled quota seats from underrepresented regions, minorities and women should be filled through affirmative action.

Tech-enabled, innovative and transparent: Digital revolution has changed the paradigm of governance and the use of technology to ensure efficiency, transparency and data-driven decision-making cuts across all functions of civil service management. 

First, complete automation of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), including its recruitment system, to reduce the recruitment cycle from two years to six months is required. Members from the private sector and civil society, including IT experts, must be included in the FPSC.

Second, performance management, from the performance agreements down to the individual Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs), should be digitized and processed through an online system. An online academy under the proposed NUPA should bring learning opportunities to the fingertips of civil servants. The performance review dashboard should track progress towards achieving outcomes across ministries.

Along with implementing these recommendations, the rules of business, as well as general financial and PPRA rules, must also be thoroughly reviewed and updated. A clear separation between policymaking, regulatory functions and implementation must be ensured, along with conducting performance audits and incorporating corporate governance mechanisms for state-owned enterprises and binding service delivery organisations to service standards.

Close to 50 recommendations, including those highlighted above in areas such as recruitment, training, performance management, institutional restructuring and compensation, are part of a civil service reforms package being presented to the prime minister, who is committed to leading transformative reforms to the civil service and remains our best hope to take these through to implementation. This will, however, require a concerted effort and support from all relevant stakeholders.

There should be no doubt that achieving goals defined by the national agenda, such as URAAN Pakistan and SIFC, as well as shaping the destiny our nation deserves, critically hinges on the civil service reforms outlined above.

The writer is the federal minister for planning, development, and special initiatives. He tweets/posts @betterpakistan

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.

Originally published in The News