Anybody on this forum knows present status of Section Officers Promotional Examination 2015 to be conducted by FPSC on requisition of Establishment Division. Valuable information of forum members will be highly appriciated.

Regards

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-New...reforms-agenda

Saturday, October 25, 2014
ISLAMABAD: The government has given a cold shoulder to some major “advice” and “recommendations” of the Federal Public Service Commission to reform the recruitment system, improve the quality of human resource, professionalise the civil service and the make the FPSC more effective through empowerment and autonomy.

In its annual report for the year 2013, presented to the president recently, the commission noted that several recommendations/advices of the commission are pending with the government as no decision had been taken on these issues. Interestingly, the reform agenda of the FPSC included an extended term of the tenure of the commission’s members and chairman.

The FPSC sought an amendment to the FPSC Ordinance, reforms in the promotion policy, improvement in the professional qualification for the CSS competitive exam, introduction of screening test for the CSS candidates, improved mechanism for the promotion exam of Section Officers, reforming the CSS competitive exam, etc. However, none of these got the approval of the government.

According the FPSC annual report, the following advice/recommendations of the commission were sent to the government for approval but the response of the government was awaited:

1) Draft bill to further amend the FPSC Ordinance: The Supreme Court of Pakistan in a number of constitutional petitions or suo moto notices has observed gross irregularities in appointments made by the government. In C.P. 30 of 2013, the Apex Court observed that the government should ensure that all the appointments in such like bodies as well as the appointments on contract basis must be made in a transparent manner. In view of this, the commission drafted a bill to further amend the FPSC Ordinance on the request of the government with the objectives (a) to ensure selection of qualified candidates for appointment in all government entities including public sector corporate bodies and various authorities as well as posts in connection with the affairs of the federation, which had been under the spotlight of judicial scrutiny in the recent past, through a merit-based competitive process in a transparent manner in an effort towards good governance; (b) making the Commission more autonomous and professional; (c) providing continuity and bringing tenure of members at par with other statutory or regulatory bodies; and (d) to ensure that the experience and skills of the members post completion of tenure is available to the government.

The commission also noted that the tenure of members of the Public Service Commission in India and Nepal is six years, in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka it is five years and in Canada it is seven years. However, the tenure of FPSC members in Pakistan has been reduced to three years in 2006. The bill was forwarded to the government in July 2013. However, the decision is still awaited.

2) Educational qualification for the competitive examination: Considering that 80 to 86 percent of the candidates qualifying the Competitive Examination between 2008 to 2012 had 16 years or above educational qualification and, realising that most of the public and private sector universities in Pakistan have moved to a 16 years bachelor degree programme and appreciating the fact that candidates with 16 years education are more aware of the global changes, the commission recommended to the government to change the educational qualification from 14 years bachelor degree to 16 years education to be eligible to take the Competitive Examination aligning it with international practices. The decision is still awaited.

3) Screening test for the competitive examination applicants: The number of applicants for the Competitive Examination is escalating over time. It has increased from 9056 applicants in 2009 to 24640 applicants in 2014. This growth results in delays in completing the examination process. To avoid such delays, the commission proposed screening test of the applicants allowing only the qualifying candidates to take the main written examination which will reduce the number to only serious candidates. In this regard, a comprehensive Screening Test Scheme was forwarded to the government on June 28, 2013 for its approval, which is still awaited.

4. Section Officers’ promotional examination: Section Officer is the lynchpin in the hierarchy manning a Federal Division. The commission holds Section Officers promotional examination against the seats reserved for them by the Establishment Division. Once they qualify, they form part of the combined seniority list of Section Officers in Grade 17 and are eligible for promotion to the rank of deputy secretary and above. Recognising the induction of this steam, the commission approved wide-ranging reforms in the examination and forwarded to the government in December 2013 for seeking concurrence. The proposed scheme includes: changing the eligibility qualification from Matric to Bachelor degree (14 years; from no restriction on number to attempts to restricting it to three attempts; introducing psychological assessment for the qualifying candidates; enhancing total marks for entrance examination from 300 to 600 with 4 compulsory and 2 optional subjects, for viva from 100 to 200 marks, for specialised training at Secretariat Training Institute 300 marks and introducing Final Passing Out Examination of 400 marks. The proposed scheme also revised and updated the syllabus of the papers. The scheme is meant to ensure quality induction of officers in the Office Management Group. However, the decision of the government is still awaited.

5) Deferment of training: There are increasing occurrences of CS Competitive Examination seeking deferment of initial training as the Rule 3 (1)(i) of the Occupational Groups and Services (Probation, Training and Seniority) Rules 190 provides wide-ranging powers to the Competent Authority to defer the training for any reason. The probationers seeking deferment actually utilise that period to prepare for the next Competitive Examination in an attempt to improve their existing position of Occupational Group/Services and block the vacancy in the assigned group/services by obtaining deferment. The commission has recommended to the government to do away with this provision to discourage the probationers seeking deferment of training on untenable reasons. The decision is still awaited.

6) Final passing out examination: Presently, the CSS probationers are allowed four attempts, which breeds incompetence and ineptitude in the bureaucracy on the one hand and tempers with the expected discipline on the other. The commission has recommended amendment to the rules to reduce the number of attempts from four to two. The decision of the government is still awaited.

7) Reforming the competitive examination: The Competitive Examination is a vital instrument in the selection of candidates who become part of the Civil Service. The tools employed for selection of candidates comprise of (a) written examination; (b) psychological assessment and (c) viva voce.

Recognising the significance of these tools, psychological assessment has been reformed as explained above. The syllabus for the written examination and the scheme of optional subjects’ selection was last revised in 1981. Course content of many subjects related to 1970s. Considering an urgent need to reform the scheme of written examination, course content of compulsory and optional subjects, and scheme of optional subjects, the commission constituted a committee which gave detailed recommendations forwarded to the government for reforming the competitive examination to ensure the selection of quality manpower for the future civil service.

8) Promotion policy: Following the judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in constitutional petition 2 of 2013, the government notified a committee headed by

Mr. Abdul Wajid Rana, Member FPSC, to undertake exercise to outline the objective criteria for promotion to make civil servant an honest officer and free from political pressure as has been noted in the judgment. The chairman of the commission forwarded the report of the committee to the government in December 2013 which recommended, inter alia,: (a) Redesigned Performance Evaluation Form for BPS-19 and 20 officers; (b) Performance equation; (c) Performance assessment framework for promotion; (d) Performance assessment of officers of specialized cadres/non-cadres; (e) Specialisation, a criteria for promotion to higher ranks; (f) Mandatory Training Courses; (g) Redesigned Forms for Assessment of Mandatory Training Courses; (h) revised Declaration of Income and Assets Form and Income Tax return mandatory condition for promotion; (i) revised Panel Proforma for the Central Selection Board; (j) objective criteria for promotion to BS-20 and BS-21 including minimum period spent on duty in each Basic Scale, minimum period for which PERs be earned, training, rotation policy, inquiry into assets, work related to functional ability and leadership, variety of experience, estimated potential for higher management; (k) meetings of the Central Selection Board; (l) revised form for Objective Assessment by CSB; (m) measures to be taken by the Establishment Division including framing rules for induction into Secretariat Group, sharing of posts, categorisation of posts, career planning, formulating job description, tenure enforcement, policy for nomination for mandatory training courses, consolidation of performance policy and procedure for completion of inquires. It is expected that enforcement of above recommendations will ensure quality civil servants at the higher-level management. The decision of the government is still awaited.

very nice elaboration sir Adnan

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@ Adnanaqeel99

Revised Syllabus for CSS exam after Goverment approval has been placed on FPSC website.

According to an official of Establishment Div, Advertisement for Section Officer Promotional exam is expected in June/ July 2015. However, no clue for revision of terms and conditions of SOPE exam revealed.

Hello.


I want to ask that if a person appointed in BPS 14 on contract, and keep serving as contractual for two years and then confirmed on regular post. Will those two contract years be counted as experience for the eligibility for S.O promotional exams?

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g bilkul
consider ho ga

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The eligibility criteria of SOPE as mentioned by FPSC is: "All government employees who have been appointed on regular basis in BS-11 to 16 and who have put in minimum 8 years of service are eligible."
Now, my question is whether a person in lower scale i.e BS-09 who have, lets say 8 years service at his disposal then is promoted to BS-14; is he eligible? or otherwise the requirement is 8 years service in BS-11 to 16 only?

8 years service in grade 11-16 from date of appoitment or promotion.

FPSC may reduce the service length from 8 years to 05 years.

In my opinion length of service is to be calculated from the date of regular appointment as the same was mentioned in previous advertisement of SOPE.