…first batch of graduates from Public Service College urged
…urged to give best technical advice to whichever political party is in power

THE first batch of graduates from the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service was on Monday called upon to serve the public with distinction while being politically neutral.

Senior Executive Director of the College, Col (ret’d) Lawrence Paul reminded the 58 graduates that they are the future of Guyana’s Public Service and “the glue that will hold the expected efficiency of the current administration and future administrations of this country.”

He called on the graduates to dispense their duties without fear or favour, affection or ill-will though it would not be easy as they’d be seen as threats and not agents of change. “The Guyana Public Service needs a fresh breath of energy that will be responsive to the needs of the public…that must be innovated and prepared to take calculated risks to change the archaic systems that are counter-productive and wasting taxpayers’ money,” Col (ret’d) Paul stated.

In his report on the college, Paul said the graduates were trained to assist in developing a public service that must involve the public in the decision-making process, because it is the public that pays the public servants to serve them (the public). “Go there and perform your duties with impartiality, objectivity and uphold your integrity,” he charged as he reminded that while they represent the first batch of trained public servants, every year, another batch will follow suit.

That aside, the Senior Executive Director expressed elation at the fact that the official Act for the College has been ratified by the Ministry of Legal Affairs and will be tabled in Parliament during its first sitting next year. By virtue of the passage of the Act, the College will become an autonomous entity.

In that vein, Paul called upon “budget planners” to understand that the College is a new institution which in time will be a great cost-saver to the government. “It’s a work-in-progress that must be supported, if its objectives are to be realised as quickly as expected.”

He then announced that the construction of a new college will soon begin as the Government of China has offered a grant of US$10M to build and furnish a modern state-of-the-art College within the compound located at the old Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) complex at Ogle, East Coast Demerara. “The search for an interim campus was excruciating to say the least and it was not until June 19, 2016 that the staff of the college occupied a building in this compound where it is intended to build the permanent campus at this 21-acre location.”

Additionally, Col. Paul noted that accreditation for the College from the University of Guyana is currently being pursed. He said too that the college is in the process of satisfying the many requirements for the accreditation standards.

Meanwhile, President David Granger like Col. Paul urged graduates of the College to be politically neutral and to provide the best technical advice to whichever political party is in power. He also urged the graduating class to let their training at the College serve as a stepping stone to higher learning while noting Guyana’s development demands a public service that is educated, motivated and organised.

He noted that passing a job interview is not sufficient and his government intends to have public servants that possess intelligence, integrity, impartiality and identity; qualities he said are the hallmark of professionalism. “You cannot become a public servant by simply walking off the street and passing an interview. That is not enough… there must be a process of becoming a public servant,” he stated.

Stressing the need for an ‘unbribable’ public service, the President said the inaugural graduation of the cadets represents an important landmark in his government’s quest for a professional public service that provides efficient serve to the people of this country. “The establishment of this College was essential to ensure the efficient delivery of public services such as public education, public health, public infrastructure, public security, public telecommunications and the Public Service, itself… The Public Service is inseparable from the executive; it is the Public Service, which must implement the directives and decisions of the Cabinet and the Government. Graduation from this College, therefore, is just the commencement of the process to ensure that the public interest is well served,” President Granger told the graduates.

Moreover, the head-of-state made it clear that Ministers and Heads of agencies must be able to rely on their staff for strong administrative support. As such, knowledge of the Constitution of Guyana and the system of public administration at all three tiers of government; the central, regional and municipal and local levels must be imparted to cadets.

Additionally, an understanding of the country’s diversity and landscape is critical, the president said, while noting that with the establishment of new capital towns and decentralisation of vital public services, high levels of competencies in the public service has increased. “Providing public services will be impossible unless public servants understand the country in which they live and appreciate the needs of the citizens to whom they must provide services. Public servants must possess an understanding, also, of the values and standards of the Service. These values and standards contribute to the functional competence of the Service, foster teamwork [and] promote leadership,” the President said.

The College, which is the brainchild of President Granger, was named in honour of Dr. Bertram Collins, a Guyanese international scholar and writer in the field of public administration. During the lead up to the May 2015 elections, President Granger promised to improve the state of the country’s public service.
The staff college which is meant to transform the public service into a professional institution seeks to embrace change perpetually, while becoming a transformative institution that will bring about fundamental improvement in the performance and behaviour of public servants.

The students of the college were exposed to twelve months of training which comprised six months classroom work where seventeen modules of academic study were done, one month of study tours and four months’ work attachment to various ministries and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.

The modules aided the students in understanding Public Service regulations, especially financial regulations, how the economy works, the law and legal system, the environment, and stress and anger management, to name a few. It should be noted that the administration of the college is in the process of reviewing the curriculum to produce better public servants who will satisfy the needs of the various ministries. It was realised that more emphasis should be placed on protocols, reading, writing, leadership skills and oral presentations.

Ato Vaughn was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence. He also received a laptop computer, a certificate, a printer, a plaque and a $20,000 book voucher redeemable at Austin’s Book Store. The runner-up best graduating student is William Charles, while Towana Madramootoo received the award for the most improved student and Raoul Ramdayal for exemplary conduct. Minister of Public Service, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder and Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton were all in attendance at the ceremony.