ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to open up top secretariat posts for technical experts from the private sector as well as from within the government.
Officials told Profit that the government will hire technical experts for a period of five years from the private sector as well as from within the government, who have PhDs and Masters from top universities and requisite experience.
According to details, the cabinet, after careful deliberations at the Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms (CCIR), made the decision to allow the serving civil servants to compete with outsiders for MP Scales.
Out of a total of 29,000 posts of officer cadre in the federal government, currently, only 108 posts belong to the MP scales, a minuscule fraction of 0.37 per cent of the total. The official further said that allowing private sector experts would provide a larger pool of applicants and a level playing field to all those who meet the eligibility criteria and can make it through an open and competitive process.
Explaining the rationale behind this decision, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Establishment Mohammad Shehzad Arbab said, “We allow our highly qualified officers with PhDs and masters degrees from top universities to work for donor agencies, but we do not allow them to use their expertise for upgrading our own capacity.”
“There is no reservation or quota for the civil servants and they have to compete with others from outside the government,” he added.
The SAPM further said that generalists without PhDs, masters, and requisite experience in the field were not eligible to apply.
Arbab stressed that given the dearth of competent people staying in the government, there was a need to find innovative ways to retain them.
“The resignations under the existing rules mean permanent severance from government service and the expertise and the experience they gain in MP positions are no longer available to us resulting in diminution of our institutional capacity,” he added.
What is MP scale
“There is no reservation or quota for the civil servants and they have to compete with others from outside the government” Lets see if it really happens or not!