Civil Service boss addresses new civil servants

Freetown, August 19 (SLENA) –Earlier this week, the leadership of the Civil Service through the Training and Career Development Department in the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) commenced a six-day induction training for newly recruited civil servants in the Professional and Administrative Cadre at the Civil Service Training College in Freetown.

Officially opening the training, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service said the civil service is a highly professional hierarchical institution that demands all the competencies and proficiencies to ensure good governance. From front roll: Dr. Surrur (6th from right)

Dr. Ernest Surrur advised the new recruits not to look at the Civil Service as a job but a vocation where people are called to serve the populace and deliver quality, timely and sustained services to the citizenry. He said if they want to stay and enjoy in the Civil Service, they must stay off government’s money and property.

“If your intention is to come and make money, then, I will tell you frankly that you are in the wrong place. You better start looking elsewhere,” he stressed.

Head of the Civil Service assured the trainees that they have earned themselves jobs that will assist them to grow in life if only they are diligent, honest and result-oriented in the discharge of their responsibilities. He said “the Civil Service is the only job that will train staff up to PhD level if they are ambitious. If you go to the Private Sector, they will hire you for who you are and the qualifications you have but if you want to go and improve yourself, they will ask you to resign”.

Dr. Surrur pointed out that Civil Servants have a huge role to play in the governance of the state. To perform this expected role, Dr. Surrur said the participants needed to be trained and should be willing to learn new ways of doing things in order to excel in their various fields. He stated that without a strong Civil Service, no government will do well neither will any country develop.

Secretary to the Cabinet described the new recruits as the “strong pillars” that will carry the government and therefore there is need for them to be real strong in knowledge and experiences.

Dr. Surrur congratulated the new recruits on their appointments and urged them to always apply due diligence in the performance of their duties and have concern for details.

Chairing the opening ceremony, Director of Training and Career Development, Rhoda Kargobai said the objective of the induction training is to enhance the capacity of the new recruits who are on Grade seven to understand the systems and processes within the Civil Service and to help them better apprehend the new reforms that are taking place in the Service.

Mrs. Kargobai stated that it is expected that the trainees would see the civil service as a vocation and career; learn to work as a team, be civil in their relationships with their superiors and the public they serve and effectively and efficiently deliver services to all and sundry.

Director of Budget and HR Planning, HRMO, Ansu Tucker said the Civil Service is a complex organization that is difficult to comprehend its operations because of its different ramifications. Mr. Tucker stated that the key principle of the Civil Service is “Service to the nation”.

He said the idea of the induction training is a tradition in the Civil Service. He reiterated that the idea of the training is to induct the new Civil Servants on what the Civil Service is, how it works and what the public expects of them as servants.

The new recruits will be inducted on Structure and Functions of Provincial Administration and Local Government; Records Management; Structure and Functions of the Civil Service and Public Service; Civil Service Codes, Rules and Regulations and Structure and Functions of HRMO, among others.

Credit SLENA

By Amadu Femoh Sesay, PRO-Cabinet Secretariat

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