ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms has sent a summary to the prime minister for enhancing the qualification for appearing in Civil Services (CSS) exam from simple BA to master’s or four-year bachelor’s degree.
Source told this scribe that the ministry had sent various recommendations to the premier to improve recruitment and selection system in consultation with the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).
However, prime minister is also yet to give approval to changing the age limit for appearing in the exam from 28 years to 30 year and the FPSC had notified the decision in this regard. Source said that 76 percent of successful candidates in the previous CSS exams had qualification of 16 years of education and above, which was the reason the ministry had sent this recommendation.
It was also proposed that the minimum qualification for appearing in the CSS exam be raised from simple BA to master’s or four-year bachelor’s degree, source added.
It had also recommended that the entry exam should be taken in two phases; in the first phase an applicant should have many chances to appear in the exam, which will be a multiple choice type, while in the second stage only shortlisted candidates may be allowed to appear. This method, thus, improves the quality of checking and finding the most appropriate candidates to take up government assignments, the ministry contended.
In another recommendation, the ministry proposed preparing three areas of specialisation in the CSS exam system.
The first group consists of those candidates who have previous qualification in accounting, finance and economics to appear for the group of professionals in the field. These officers, after induction, will be provided specialist training to take up professional matters in the field of economics, finance and accounting. This (idea) has been taken from experiences of various developed countries that have changed their civil services (structure) from generalised to specialised.
The second group consists of those candidates who will opt for information as their field of specialisation and work. These candidates are expected to have previous qualification in the field of information, information technology and the media. After induction, these officers will be trained in the field of electronic media, paper journalism and social media to play their role as government officers to put communication in the right direction.
The third group will be general and candidate will be able to go to fields like district management, foreign office, and police.