draft report nspp september (october 2012)

8/11/2019 Draft Report NSPP September (October 2012)

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DRAFT REPORT

THE TRAINING CURRICULUM&

METHODOLOGY OF PUBLIC POLICY

TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

(TOWARDS INTEGRATION OF ENVIORNMENT IMPACT

ASSESSMENT (EIA) AND STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT

(SEA) IN PUBLIC POLICY TRAINING INSTITUTIONS)

September 2012


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Table of Contents

A. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 3

B. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY............................................................................................................... 4

C. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 4

D. INSTITUTIONTAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS TRAINING................................... 4

E. ASSESSMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 5

i. CAPACITY ........................................................................................................................................ 5

ii. CURRICULUM .................................................................................................................................. 6

iii. TRAINING METHODOLOGY AND TECHNINQUES............................................................... 13

iv. PARTICIPANTS ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION..................................................................... 16

v. COURSE REVIEW PROCESS ........................................................................................................ 16

vi. TRAINING NEEDS/GAPS ......................................................................................................... 17

F. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 18

G. RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 18

H. POTENTIAL INTERVENTIONS UNDER NIAP ............................................................................... 19

ANNEXURE-1: STUDY APPROACH AND ACTION PLAN ................................................................................ 21

ANNEXURE-2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARTICIPANTS ...................................................................... 23


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embed core-customized elements of institutional development into the NSPP

curriculum.

B.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

5.

The purpose of this study is to review the existing training curriculum of the NSPPand other important training institutions and propose what needs to be done to

integrate EIA and SEA in their curriculum. The assessment also covers capacity

aspects of individuals and departments involved in training delivery and proposes

the kind of courses that need to be introduced.

C. METHODOLOGY

6. The assessment focused primarily on the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) as

it has exclusive mandate to train civil servants in Pakistan. As part of this

assessment, training design, course contents, training methodology, quality of

visiting and permanent faculty, and evaluation of courseparticipants, course reviewprocess were reviewed. Interviews of the officials1

of the NSPP and course

participants were also conducted during this exercise. Annexure-1 (Study Approach

and Action Plan including Questionnaire for the NPSSs officials) and Annexure-2

(Questionnaire for Course Participants) indicate our approach and questionnaires

used to gather information for analysis.

7. The first draft of the report is now ready for stakeholders. We will incorporate

stakeholders feedback on the draft report appropriately in this document. We will

also organize a national workshop in Islamabad to share the revised draft with

stakeholders and further improve it in the light of stakeholders feedback. The

report will respond to all the requirements given in Para 3 of the TORs.

D. INSTITUTIONTAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS TRAINING

8. The National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) was established in March

1961 under the West Pakistan Government Educational and Training Institutions

Ordinance, 1960. It operated as a semi-autonomous organization under the

administrative control of the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan until

2005. It is now merged with the National Management College (NMC), as Senior

Management Wing (SMW) imparting training to civil servants in B-19, to form the

National School of Public Policy (NSPP).

9. The NSPP has constituent units and integral units. The constituent units are

National Institutes of Management (NIM) in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar,

Islamabad2

1List of officials interviewed would be added as Annexure once interviews are over.

and Civil Services Academy (CSA), Lahore. The integral units are the

2National Centre for Rural Development (NCRD) acts as the NIM, Islamabad for purpose of MCMC Program for

Islamabad based officers.


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National Management College, Executive Development Institute, and National

Institute of Public Policy. Other civil training institutions of the federal government

may also become constituent units provided they meet certain criteria. The NSPP

has led to the standardization of in-service training program of civil servants. For

example, the Mid Career Management Course (MCMC) mandatory for civil servants

promotion from B-18 to B-19 has been standardized and made more coherent. AllNIMs follow the same syllabi for this intensive program. Similarly, the Senior

Management Course (SMC), mandatory for civil servants promotion from B-19 to B-

20 has been standardized. The National Management Course (NMC), which is

mandatory for civil servants promotion from B-20 to B-21, has also been

standardized. It may be added that the civil servants posted in the Gilgit-Baltistan

Province and AJK also participate in the training programs of the NSPP. Some B-20

officers attend the National Defense Universitys Master Program in public policy

which is also acceptable in lieu of the NMC. The University is located in Islamabad

and it does not offer a specialized curriculum like that used in the NSPP for training

of B-20 officers. Few spots are available to civil servants for this option and

therefore it is an insignificant entry point for the IUCN.

10.

Roughly speaking, 700-800 civil servants participate in training at different

constituent and integral units of the NSPP annually. These officers hold senior

positions in federal, provincial and district governments and, therefore, they can

play a significant role in institutionalizing the practice of SEA in government

operations.

11.In addition to the NSPP, the Audit and Accounts Training Institute (AATI) of the

Auditor-General of Pakistan (AGP) is an important institution where auditors may

be trained in how to integrate SEA in statutory audits where appropriate. The

AATIs head office is in Lahore with its regional offices in provincial headquarters.The Auditor General reports are presented to the Public Accounts Committees

(PACs) at the national and provincial levels. Before this presentation, Field Audit

Offices review audit findings with Principal Accounting Officers (PAOs) at the

Department Accounts Committees (DACs) level at national and provincial level.

Thus, audit process can be used to sensitize PAOs and also members of the PACs to

the SEA process and to gradually mainstream it in the working of the government.

12.Following the proposed approach for this study, a literature review was carried out.

Selected unstructured interviews of officials involved in training at the NSPP were

conducted. In addition, some officers who recently completed training at the NSPP

were also interviewed. We also looked at the syllabi of some of the training courses

conducted under the NSPP. Following are our preliminary findings.

E.

ASSESSMENT

i. CAPACITY


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13.The NSPPs key positions are held by civil servants representing different

occupational groups. Most of them have served in district, provincial, and federal

governments in different capacities and some of them hold advanced degrees in

disciplines such as economics, public policy, government, and business from leadinguniversities of the United States. However, their core experience has been service

delivery rather than teaching fellow civil servants. Thus, the NSPP almost entirely

depends on visiting faculty/Resource Persons (RPs) to impart training. Subject

matter specialists from the government or private sector are invited as RPs to

deliver lectures/workshop on selected topics as per the training schedule. This

modality is flexible in that it allows enough room to accommodate any subject in the

curriculum as subject matter experts may be engaged from the market and the NSPP

has no financial constraint. NSPPs internal capacity is not an indicator of whether of

not it can teach EIA and SEA. The NSPP can use external resource person(s) to teach

the civil servants EIA and SEA.

14.The AATI conducts numerous courses on accounting and audits but it lacks capacity

to train auditors in environmental audits and SEA is totally new phenomenon to this

organization. In fact, it has been trying to engage an environmental auditor to

develop multi-sector guidelines on environment auditing and also to train staff so as

to enable them to identify and conduct environment audits. The AATI, for the most

part, depends on its permanent faculty to deliver lectures on different types of

audits though it also engages Resource Person(s) both from the government and

private sectors for specialized subject from time to time. However, the AATI offers

resource person(s) a rate that in one-tenth of the rate offered by the NSPP. Another

aspect is that auditors need much deeper understanding than a lecture or two

would impart. Thus, short-term technical support for the AATI is worth considering.

ii. CURRICULUM

15.The NSPP follows standardized curricula in its training programs. The Common

Training Program (CTP), designed for fresh entrants to civil services, helps

participants understand how government works. It orientates fresh entrants to the

basic concepts of economics, IT, political and administrative arrangements for

service delivery, quantitative tools for decision making, public sector management,

personnel and office management, professional and social ethics, basics of computer

and IT etc. The duration of this course is 7 months.

16.Once civil servants are ready for promotion to B-19, they are required to attend the

MCMC at one of the NIMs in provincial headquarters or Islamabad. The MCMC

focuses on building knowledge, skills, and leadership potential in civil servants at

operational/tactical level.The duration of this course is 10 weeks. Civil servants are

sensitized to public interest issues and groomed for service delivery. The MCMCs

five modules and course contents are summarized in Table-1 below:


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Table-1

No. Module Name Course Contents

1 Institutional framework

of strategicmanagement and

important national

issues of Pakistan.

Methodology and Processes (Public Policy),

National Quest for Water and Its Management,Issues of Human Rights, Issues of Provincial

Autonomy, Countering Terrorism at Divisional

and District Level, Administrative Peculiarities

of GB & AJK, Administrative Peculiarities of

FATA and PATA, Supply, Distribution and Use

of Energy in Pakistan, Regional Security and

Foreign Policy, Extremism and its impact on

Pakistan, Rising Urbanization and Challenges

to Vibrant Cities, National Heritage.

Simulation Exercise (Minor)

2 Governance modalities

and downstream

administrative

structures at the

Operational & Tactical

Levels of Government.

Administrative Structure and Federal,

Provincial and District levels, Federal and

Provincial Rules of Business, Revisiting

Estacode and Secretariat Instructions, 18th

Amendments and Related Challenges,

Interagency Process for Operational

Effectiveness, Judicial Review of Administrative

Action, E-Governance and Its Utility in Service

Delivery, Accountability, From Reactive to

Proactive Governance, Office Procedures and

Disciplinary Actions, Administrative Discretion,Local Self-Governance in Pakistan,

Regulating Law and Order-Present and Future

Challenges, Media Activism and Service

Delivery, Pakistan Parliamentary Form of

GovernmentNational and Provincial Set UP,

Case Study Research

3 Public Sector

ManagementTheory

and Its Application at

Operational/Tactical

Levels.

Essential of Public Service Management and

Leadership, Institutional Performance

Evaluation Systems, Emotional Literacy,

Problem Solving and Decision Making, Crisis

andDisaster Management, Team Building,

Performance Audit, Change Management,

Communication and Presentation Skills, Time

and Workload Management, Ethics in Public

Service Delivery, Negotiations Skills, Anger

Management, Performance Management in

Public Sector-Conceptual Overview,


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Performance Management and HRM,

Performance Management in Organizations,

Case Study

Simulation Exercise ( Major)

4 Economics & Finance as

applicable tooperational

management.

Basic Concepts of Micro and Macroeconomics,

Fiscal and Monetary Policies, PakistansEconomy-Domestic, Regional and Global

Context, Poverty Reduction Strategies,

Pakistan Agriculture and Industry-Impact of

WTO, Public Financial Management-Role of

Principal Accounting Officers, Preparation of

Departmental and District Budget, Project

Management and Project Management Tools,

Role of Regulatory Bodies at Operational and

Tactical Level, Support Price Mechanism in

Agriculture Sector-Implications After 18th

Amendment, Public-Private PartnershipOperational Issues, Taxation System at

Provincial and Local Levels, Public

Procurement Rules in Pakistan, MS Project,

Data Analysis for Effective Decision Making,

Case Study

Simulation (Major)

5 Research and Field

Study Tours

Lecture Discussion on Research Methods

In-Land Study Tour, and Presentation

Local Visits (6)

17. When civil servants are ready for promotion to B-20, they are required to attend

SMC at the Senior Management Wing (SMW) of the NPSS. The SMC focuses on

improving knowledge, attitudes, skills and leadership ability in civil servants. The

officers learn to develop operational strategy and action plans and techniques for

monitoring. The duration of this course is 20 weeks. The SMCs six modules along

with course contents are illustrated in Table-2 below:

Table-2

No. Module Name Course Contents

1 National

Environment:

Issues of Internal

and External

Dynamics

Determinants of foreign policy, Statecraft

Methodology and Process of Policy Formulation,

Overview of Pakistans Relations with Major Powers

USA and China, Pakistans Relations with Regional

Countries (Afghanistan, Iran & CARs), Pakistans

Relations with Economically Important Countries,

Indo-Pak Relations, Values, Beliefs & Attitudes - their


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Impact on Governance, Ethics and Governance,

Sources of Public Policy and Issues of Implementation

& Governance, Issues of Governance and Service

Delivery at the Provincial Level, Counter-Terrorism

Strategy and State Response, Pakistans Heritage,

Talks by Councillor General ( India, US, Iran peravailability)

2 Diversity of

Pakistani State &

Society: Its

Impact on

Administration

and Service

Delivery

Pakistan State and Society, Socio-Cultural Diversities

within Punjab Province and Their Impact on Public

Service Management, Socio-Cultural Diversities within

KP, FATA, FR and PATA and their Impact on Public

Service Management, Socio-Cultural Diversities within

Sindh Province and their Impact on Public Service

Management, Socio-Cultural Diversities within

Balochistan Province and their impact on Public

Service Management, Peculiarities of Politico-

Administrative Arrangements and Governance inGilgit-Baltistan and AJK, Marginalized Sections of

Society including Minorities, Women and Children,

Development of Arts & Literature and its Impact on

Pakistani Society, Sectarian Conflict and its

Administrative Management, Islam and Modern

Islamic State, Case Study-I: Land Administration

System: Socio-Economic-Political Dynamics at the

Operational Level

3 Economics and

Financial

Management atOperational Level

Basic economic concepts and theories, fiscal and

monetary policies, economic development,

Application of Tools for Policy Analysis and DecisionMaking, Macro Economic Planning in Pakistan, Role of

International financial assistance in Pakistans

Economy, Understanding Financial Statements and

Project Appraisal Techniques (Financial Analysis),

Workshop on Project formulation appraisal and

implementation, Public Finance Local Resource

Generation , Utilization and Financial Externalities,

Workshop on Project Management, Taxation Structure

in Pakistan (Federal, Provincial and District),

Challenges to Agriculture in Pakistan, Alleviating

Urban/Rural Poverty in Pakistan, Small & MediumScale Entrepreneurship Development, Large Scale

Industrial Development in Pakistan, Trade Policy and

its Implementation, Role of market in influencing

policy formulation and policy implementation,

Economic & Financial Issues of State Owned

Entities(SOE)-PIA/Railways, Energy Deficit, Case


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Study on Izhar Limited A Case of Entrepreneurship

4 Issues of

Operational

Effectiveness

within Strategic

GovernanceFramework

Conceptual Framework of Public Service Management ,

Emotional Literacy/Intelligence & Stress

Management, Leadership And Successful Leadership

Models,Leadership, Subordinate Legislation:

Governance And Policy Implementation In Pakistan,Effective Negotiations, Strategic Management;

Operational Planning and Implementation, Strategy

Implementation, Federal Provincial and Local

Government Structures In Pakistan, Federal Provincial

and Local Government Structures In Pakistan (Federal

Level), Federal Provincial and Local Government

Structures in Pakistan (Provincial Level) , Federal

Provincial and Local Government Structures in

Pakistan (Local Level), Human Resource Management

at Operational Level, Performance Indicators for

Improving Service Delivery in Public Sector ofPakistan, Media Handling In Public Sector

Organizations, Case Study:Organization, governance

and strategic management PHA.

5 Research

Methodology &

Research

Introduction to Research Methodology, Research

Process, Data Collection ( I&II ), Style and Form of the

Paper, Notes & Bibliography, Presentation Skills,

Effective Writing Skills, Thinking and Reasoning,

Communication Skill ( Presentations)

6 Inland Study

Tour and Local

Visits tounderstand

working of the

government and

private sector

institutions

In-Land Study Tour

Local Visits covered energy sector, local industry,

national heritage, and deeni madaris.

18.

The National Management Wing of the NPSS organizes National Management

Course (NMC) for officers who are in promotion zone from B-20 to B-21. It seeks to

enable senior officers of the Federal and Provincial Civil Services, friendly countries

(allied participants), armed forces and senior executives from the private sector to

understand factors bearing on formulation and implementation of public policy,

with a view to preparing them for assignments at national policy level.The duration

of this course is 22 weeks. The NMCs six modules along with course contents are

described in Table-3 below:

Table-3


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Expenditure Policy ,Debt Management Policy ,Monetary

Policy and the Issue of Autonomy of State Bank of

Pakistan ,Capital Market Development in Pakistan and

its Regulation ,The Challenges of Industrialization in

Pakistan ,Trade Lead Growth: Challenges and Prospects

,Domestic Commerce and Trade in Pakistan; Perspective,Prospects and Challenges ,Agricultural Policy ,Financial

System of Pakistan and its Linkages with Global Finance

and Influence of IFIs on Policy Formulation in Pakistan

,Energy Challenges ,Framework for Economic Growth-

Strategy Paper May 2011-Planning Commission

,Economic Development, Political Stability and National

Security

4 Governance,

Strategic

Management and

Leadership

Governance: General Perspective ,Public Management

and Process of Change in Pakistan ,National Leadership

and Institutional Framework ,Emotional Literacy and

Stress Management ,Rules of Business and InstitutionalMechanism for Facilitating the Process and Methodology

of Public Policy Formulation in Pakistan ,Pay & Pensions

Commissions Report 2009 In the Context of Improved

Performance of Governance ,Water Issues Treaties &

Disputes ,Media (Print & Electronic) and Statecraft

,Public Service Institutions and their Economic/Strategic

Management- Pakistan Railways/PIA ,Strategy

Formulation ,Leadership and Decision Making

5 Research

Methodology and

Research

General Introduction to Research Methodology:

,Epistemology of Social Sciences Research , Empiricism

and Empirical Method ,Research Process ,DataCollection-1 ,Data Collection-2 ,Style and Form of the

Paper ,Notes and Bibliography ,Workshop on Notes and

Bibliography ,Thinking & Reasoning ,Communication &

Presentation Skills ,(Research Proposal, including the

Process of Writing Statement of the Problem ,Data

Analysis and Interpretation (Hands on Training-HoT)

6 Local and Foreign

Study Tour

Local study tours helped officers understand the

working of public and private sector institutions.

Foreign Study Tour exposed participants of the NMC to

good practices that can be replicated in Pakistan.

19.Similarities in the structure of these courses are noteworthy but as civil servants

move up the ladder from the CTP to the NMC, the thrust of training courses shifts

toward strategic management and leadership in governance. The format used is

workshop, lectures, tutorial discussions in syndicates, field visits, which is

appropriate for the audience. In the case of the NMC, a foreign visit is also part of the


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course to expose course participants to the good international practices. Notable

emphasis is placed on officers participation in discussion and other activities.

20.It is noted that the courses on environmental management and assessment are few.

However, there is opportunity to integrate this subject in the curricula given the

flexible methodology used in the NSPP.

21.Some officers participate in the National Defense Universitys Masters Program in

Strategic Management instead of the NMC. Its curriculum is standardized and not

specifically tailored to the requirements of civil servants. Less than 5 spots are made

available to civil servants for this program and, therefore, it is not feasible entry

point for the IUCN.

22.The AATI offers numerous short courses for its officials from B-17 to B-19. The

officers of the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Services (PA&AS) also attend CTP,

MCMC, SMC, and NMC like other occupation groups. The curriculum covers topics of

financial management with larger focus on audits. However, there is hardly anycourse on environmental audit because of capacity constraint as pointed out in

Para-13 above.

iii. TRAINING METHODOLOGY AND TECHNINQUES

23.Typically, the SMC, NMC and MCMC comprise the following pedagogical

instruments:

a.

Lecture Discussion (LD):A LD is a two-hour session in which an expert delivers a

lecture on a topic under one of the course modules for about 45 minutes which

follows a Question and Answer (Q&A) session. The Chief Instructor (CI) and

permanent faculty (Directing Staff) attend these L.Ds. The Q&A session is regulated

to make sure that every participant gets a chance to ask questions during L.Ds. For

each L.D, the NSPP designates one/two participants to write a synopsis capturing

key points of the L.D. The synopsis is evaluated for quality and affects participants

overall grading in the course.

b. Panel Discussion (PD): A PD is a three-hour session in which two experts are

invited to present their views on a subject under one of the course modules. The

experts get 45 minutes each to present their views. This follows a Q&A session of 90

minutes. The Chief Instructor and permanent faculty (Directing Staff) attend these

P.Ls. Like L.D, the Q&A session is regulated. For each L.D, the NSPP designates

one/two participants to write a synopsis capturing key points of the L.D. The

synopsis is evaluated for quality and affects participants overall grading in the

course.

c. Tutorial Discussion (TD): A TD occurs in small groups known as syndicates. For

this purpose, course participants are divided into groups of 10-12. Syndicates are


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notified right at the start of each term of the course. In case of the SMC, each

participant is assigned to three different syndicates in three terms. Each syndicate

has a Sponsoring Directing Staff (SDS). Reading material, prepared by the NSPP, is

provided in advance with the expectation that participants will have read it before

they convene for T.Ds in their respective syndicate rooms. For each T.D, members of

the syndicates are required to elect a Chairman and a Secretary. The Chairman leadsthe discussion while the Secretary takes notes and prepares a report on the

discussion. The report is evaluated for quality and affects the assessment of

participants that play the roles of the Chairman and the Secretary. It is not

uncommon for the SDS to take a quiz before discussion to test whether participants

are ready for discussion. The SDS also set over all direction for discussion.

d.

Current Issue Presentation (CIPs):The purpose of CIPs is to sharpen analytic skills

and enable them to strategize policy implementation. Each participant proposes

three current issue topics. The NSPP may, however, assign a different topic. Each

participant is required to complete his or her presentation in 30 minutes. The CI and

permanent faculty (Directing Staff) evaluate presentations and raise questions tomake sure that participants are fully prepared on the issue. Some participants are

asked to repeat their presentation if they dont meet the expectation of the NSPP.

Course participants can not ask questions.

e.

Service Group Presentation:The NSPP require the senior-most officers of different

services/organizations to make presentation on their service group/organization.

The officers get 45 minutes to make presentation while 15 minutes are kept for Q&A

session. Course participants can ask questions. The presentations cove historical

background, organization structure, organizational effectiveness, strengths and

weakness analysis, promotion prospects etc.

f.

Simulation:The purpose of this exercise is to put course participants in a real-life

like situation with time and resource constraint and a set of hurdles to overcome

through appropriate interventions. Participants learn to identify gaps in institutions

and policies, prioritize issues, develop workable action plans, and mechanisms to

monitor implementation progress of these plans. They are encouraged to be

innovative and sensitive to contingency planning in an uncertain world. A

simulation exercise takes 8-10 days to complete. Participants are divided into

Research Analysis Groups (RAGs) and Syndicates. A RAG usually comprises 5-6

participants while a Syndicate has 7-8 participants. The exercise is structured in

such a way that RAGs work directly feed into the work of Syndicates. In SMC, there

are three simulation exercises, one in each term. The NSPP usually picks one sectorin each exercise, breaks it into different bits, distributes these bits between RAGsand Syndicates, and assigns SDS to provide direction3

3During the 11thSMC, the NSPP covered (a) Public Service Delivery: Issues in Urban Management of

Lahore (b) Energy: Strategy and Implementation in Pakistan and (c) Commerce and Trade:

Challenge and Prospects.

. Each RAG/Syndicate has a


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j.

Extra- curriculum activities:Course participants are also required to participate in

extra-curricular activities through out their respective courses. This builds

interpersonal skills and gives participants a chance to learn from each other.

iv.

PARTICIPANTS ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

24.During pre-service training at CSA, the effectiveness of training is judged largely on

periodic internal exams. In addition, participants' performance in extra-curricular

activities is also considered. During MCMC, SMC, and NMC, different techniques are

used for assessment. Each faculty member grades participants individually for each

activity that they perform. Before any activity, clear requirements are conveyed

through hand-outs and participants are required to meet those requirements during

the activity. This makes sure that assessment/evaluation is transparent and

objective. In addition to the faculty, the CI rigorously monitors the performance of

each participant through out the course. In the case of APs6

, participants responses

are coded before distribution among the faculty members for review and grading.The faculty members dont know whose papers they are reviewing. In addition to

the faculty, the CI also reviews these APs to make sure that these have been

assessed objectively by the faculty. In some cases, even Reactor looks at some

responses for quality assurance. In case of simulation, experts on the subject are

invited to review the presentations of RAG/Syndicate after the end of simulation

exercise. These experts ask questions to make sure that RAGs/Syndicates have

developed a thorough understanding of the subject during this exercise.

Participants are also required to write synopsis of a TD/PD session. The quality of

synopsis is also appraised. For the most part, Q&A sessions are regulated to make

sure that every participant gets a fair number of chances to raise questions after

TD/PD. Those asking crisp and relevant questions that generate additionalimportant information for all participants are rated higher. The CI also interviews

all participants to better understand them and validate participants overall

ratings/evaluation in a course. Use of different techniques in assessment/evaluation

minimizes the risk that officers would be judged subjectively.

25.The AATI generally conducts short courses and no formal assessments are made.

Case study and lectures are prominent means for training delivery.

v. COURSE REVIEW PROCESS

26.

Before the end of every regular training course at the NSPP, a Course Review

Committee (CRC) comprising course participants is constituted to look into the

course structure, course contents, and delivery etc and ascertain whether the course

has achieved its intended outcome. The CRC gathers and analyzes relevant

6 Performance in APs significantly affects overall grading because unlike any other activity,

participants exclusively depend on their innate analytic ability to respond to the issues raised in the

AP material within given time in a formal testing environment.


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information, and prepares a report. The report is presented to the management of

the course concerned. External reviewers, who are usually participants of earlier

but the same courses, are invited to provide feedback on the work of the CRC. The

faculty of the concerned course examines the CRCs recommendation and initiates

the process of changing the course if required.

vi. TRAINING NEEDS/GAPS

27.As stated earlier in Para 12, the NPSS engages Resource Persons (RPs) for panel

discussions/lectures/workshops in its training courses for which it has a more than

adequate budget each year. The NSPP, therefore, has no training need in terms of

subject matter expertise for EIA and SEA. Interaction with participants of different

courses, however, reveals following shortcomings

The curriculum review carried out above (Para 13-17 above) clearly points

out significant duplication/overlaps in MCMC, SMC, and NMC. It may be the

reflection of training needs of different tiers of officers not being properlyworked out and integrated in training design.

The course contents are of primary relevance to the Pakistan Administrative

Service (PAS)7

, Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), and Pakistan Foreign

Service (FSP). Officers representing other occupational groups and ex-cadre

are forced to learn what may not be relevant to their work. The NSPP does

not have any backward linkage with the departments that send officers for

mandatory courses. If the departments can identify and communicate

training needs of their officers and the NSPP can somehow integrate those

needs in its training design, it would magnify the impact of training on

service delivery. This linkage does not exit right now.

The quality of reading material especially one used for tutorial discussion in

syndicates needs more variety. While professionals are advocating use of

case studies in adult learning and the NSPP has also made progress in this

regard, reliance on lectures remains considerable. The quality of material

and limited use of case study method may be due to the fact there is no

dedicated organizational unit for these purposes.

Staff at the NSPP requires more training to facilitate and optimize learning

processes through effective mentoring. Currently, this component is only

loosely embedded in the NSPPs training programs and its formal integration

will enhance the effectiveness of training.

7The District Management Group (DMG) has recently been renamed as the Pakistan Administrative

Service (PAS)


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The NSPP does not have any forward linkage with government departments

where officers go to work after training. In the absence of this linkage, the

NSPP does not get any feedback on whether its training has added to the

capacity of civil servants for service delivery. As premier training institution

of civil servants, the NSPP needs to closely monitor how its activities are

contributing toward governance improvement in the country.

And finally, the NSPPemphasizes research in its programs but this research

work is not formally linked with the working of federal ministries or

provincial departments. This linkage needs to be established as per its

mandate.We feel that these areas need to be examined and steps taken to

improve the quality of programs offered at the NSPP.

28.The AATI clearly needs technical support in developing training modules and

trainers for environmental audits geared toward EIA and SEA. Currently, the AGP

office lacks specialized auditing skills in this area and that is the reason that auditors

are not picking up these environmental issues effectively in their audit reports.

F.

CONCLUSION

29.The establishment of the NSPP has created an opportunity for more focused and

effective training of civil servants in Pakistan. The NSPPs autonomy allows it to

diversify the topics covered in its training programs, thus creating space for the

inclusion of EIA and SEA in civil servants training programs. Most of the lectures

are delivered by the visiting faculty, and therefore there is no structural barrier to

engage experts in the field of EIA and SEA for this purpose.The NSPP employs

different tools and techniques in training and uses objective criteria for grading

participants. That enhances the effectiveness of training. The NSPP continuously

reviews its different programs through CRCs. However, one can see

duplication/overlaps in the design of MCMC, SMC and NMC that need to be plugged

in to align trainings with the requirement of all occupational groups and ex-cadre

officers. The NSPP is open to fresh ideas and willing to collaborate with the private

sector to improve its effectiveness. Apart from the NSPP, the AATI is another

promising entry point for the NIAP as the AGP, the parent office of the AATI, has

been keen on up-dating its skills of its auditors in environment audits.

G.

RECOMMENDATIONS

30.Based on the points mentioned above, we suggest the following changes in policy:

i.

There is some duplication in the modules of the MCMC, SMC, and NMC, which

needs to be removed. There is little value in teaching civil servants the same

topic three times in their career.


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QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE FACULTY

We plan to meet a few officials in each of the training institutions of the NSPP. To

conduct focused discussion, we intent to use following questionnaire during

interviews with the selected officials of the NSPP.

1.

How do you ensure that the emerging requirements of government agencies at

national and sub-national levels are properly factored in your training program?

2. What skills/competencies does your program target to improve?

3.

Why do you focus on developing these skills/competencies?

4.

Do you have any organizational unit dedicated to conducting needs assessment

and informing training design accordingly?

5.

How do you select visiting faculty?

6.

Do you conduct your institutional assessment to determine the kind of resources

(human, financial, and others) that you need to meet your training agenda?

7. How do you select officers for posting in your organization?

8. Is the permanent staff, especially the one involved in imparting training, is trained

enough for this type of work?

9. Is the turn over of the permanent staff low/higher? Explain why?

10.Do you think the NSPP is on track to achieving its objectives? How?


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draft report nspp september (october 2012)

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