SA School of Government readiness by September 2013: progress report by PALAMA

Meeting report

Opening remarks
The Chairperson welcomed Members to the first meeting of the year and wished them a good year. The only agenda item was to hear a briefing by PALAMA on its readiness to become a School of Government by September 2013. PALAMA would discuss how the intake would roll out, time frames and targets, new modules and new programmes, how the organisational structure would be affected, and the marketing strategy. She reminded Members that the Committee played an oversight role for the School of Government, so this meeting was very important. The Committee received apology notes from the Minister of Public Service and Administration and the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration due to the weekly Wednesday Cabinet meeting. She introduced Sheila Mninzi, the Secretary to the Chairperson, Razia January, the Secretary of the Committee, and Julius Membe, the Committee’s new content advisor. She asked Members to introduce themselves and state any other Committees they served on to show their different areas of expertise and their dedication to public service. Then, all of the guests presents were asked to introduce themselves.

Briefing
The Chairperson said that the School of Government was a concrete move toward a bigger, better vision for South Africa. She mentioned section 195 of the Constitution, saying it was critical for SA to see the implementation of this section.

Mr Lekoa Solly Mollo, Director-General for PALAMA thanked the Committee for the opportunity to show the readiness of the School. He thanked others present:
Ms Gemma Paine Cronin, Minister’s Advisory Body, School of Government
Ms Trish Hanekom, Minister’s Advisory Body, School of Government
Ms Sanelisiwe Mbhele, Office of the Director-General, PALAMA
Mr Dino Poonsamy, Chief Director: Strategic Management, PALAMA
Johannes Rantets, Ministry for Public Service & Administration
Prof Itumeleng Mosala, Minister’s Advisory Body, School of Government
Prof Daniel Plaatjies, Adviser, Office of the Minister for Public Service and Administration
Mr Sipho Manana, Acct DDA: Training Delivery, PALAMA
Mr Johannes Rantets, Ministry for Public Service and Administration
Ms Sanelisiwe Mbhele, Office of the Director-General at PALAMA
Prof Itumeleng Mosala, Minister’s Advisory Body, School of Government
Prof Sipho Seepe, Adviser, Office of the Minister for Public Service and Administration
Ms Sandi Mbatsha, Adviser, Office of the Minister for Public Service and Administration
Ms Vulkaru Mthembu, Parliamentary Liason Officer, Ministry of Public Service
Thabo Gigaba, Stakeholder Liaison, Ministry of Public Service
Swazi Taitai, Parliamentary Liaison Officer, Ministry of Public Service
Ms Shamela Abrahams, Parliamentary Liaison Officer, Department of Public Service and Administration
Zawele Keto, Stakeholder Liaison, AGSA

Mr Mollo said the presentation would avoid dark points in South African history and would focus on the readiness of and impact of the School of Government. He saw the School of Government as a solution to problems in the public service, such as corruption and ineffectiveness.

He said that the curriculum had been submitted to the Minister of Public Service. He noted that it was her suggestion that the School of Government try to incorporate summer and winter programming. The Director-General and the Deputy Director-General of PALAMA, and himself, among others, would sit in on the School of Government’s classes to gain insight into the classroom experience to critique and improve the courses. It was important for the instructors to have public service experience.

Mr Mollo referred to comments made by Minister in The Presidency, Trevor Manuel, on the importance of passing on the experience public servants have.

The School of Government would operate under a learning and development framework. There would be an assessment centre, an induction ceremony, access to public service internships, and reorientation programmes for public servants to preserve institutional memory. Job training should be continual.
He noted that job standards vary from department to department and that the School of Government could help build consensus on basic job qualifications.

Mr Mollo explained that the presentation he was about to begin would provide a contextual background and would discuss the relationship between PALAMA and the School of Government, the road-map and progress on the implementation plan on its establishment and launch, the operationalisation and consolidation of the School of Government, and resources. Finally, Members would be invited to offer recommendations.

Mr Mollo began the presentation by calling the School of Government a unique proposition. Cabinet had decided in 2006 to “establish an academy to train and develop the public servants in the administration”. In 2012, a Ministerial Pronouncement stated, “The School of Government needs to produce public service cadres that would soldier against maladministration, fraud, corruption and unethical behaviour”. The 2012 National Development Plan and the 2013 State of the Nation Address called on the country to improve the performance of the Public Service by ensuring that staff at all levels have the experience, competency and support they need to do their jobs and to formulate long-term skills development strategies.

He explained the values and principles of the Public Administration: there was a constitutional imperative to establish a sector of public servants and administrators that were accountable, transparent, equitable, efficient, effective, corruption-free and responsive to the needs of the citizens of South Africa.

The values of public service are:
▪ High standard of professional ethics
▪ Efficient, economic and effective use of resources
▪ A development-orientated public administration
▪ Provision of services in an impartial, fair and equitable way, without bias
▪ Responding to people’s needs and encouraging the public to participate in policy-making
▪ Accountable administration
▪ Fostering transparency.

Mr Mollo explained PALAMA’s current situation. The Public Service Act declared PALAMA a Schedule 1 Department with the legal status, functional and organisational configuration of a national department. Currently, PALAMA serves as a coordinating body of training for the Public Service by arranging and overseeing management and development of training by private service providers and higher education institutions. PALAMA was a facilitator of training pre and post tender process. PALAMA operates under an an outsourced model of training provision. Its cost-recovery model was based on in-government training contracted by national departments and other levels of government. PALAMA takes on board observations by the Portfolio Committee on Public Service Administration, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the Auditor-General, and the Public Service Commission.

Going forward, when PALAMA transitioned to a School of Government, there would be no more outsourcing the core business of training and development of Public Service employees. In addition, the School of Government would develop and manage curricula design, training delivery, and performance monitoring and evaluation, especially measuring the impact of the training and development. The School of Government sought to develop and implement its own teaching, training, learning and delivery strategy based on three approaches:
▪ Compulsory Induction and Orientation
▪ Customised and selective training and development programmes
▪ Comprehensive massification of training and development.
The School of Government seeks to recruit seasoned, ethical and principled public servants and from all levels of government and develop them into faculty, facilitators, and instructors.

The School of Government would operate in a central location within regional/provincial centres that service national, provincial and local government, legislatures and councils, and public sector institutions.

According to Public Service Act, South Africa must “provide such training or cause,” and “ such training [is] to be provided or conduct such examinations or tests to be conducted as the Head of the Institute may with the approval of the Minister decide and may issue diplomas or cause diplomas or certificates to be issued to persons who have passed such examinations”. The National Development Plan confirmed the critical need for human capacity in the public service through training and development of public servants at all three levels of government.

The School of Government would focus on in-service training and professional development support programmes embedded in the public service and administration that focus on:
▪ Public administration systems and operations
▪ Public administration governance, leadership and management ethos
▪ Building a culture of public service
▪ Context-based public service training and development
▪ Targeting and customising in-service professional training and development especially for middle to accounting officer levels
▪ Research and benchmarking to give it a world-class outlook.
Also, there would be a compulsory induction for new recruits at all levels.

Context-based public service training and development of the School of Government would focus on:
▪ Seminar applied knowledge exchange platforms for seasoned and experienced political representatives in legislatures, and senior to executive public servants
▪ Legislature capacity building at all levels of government, especially drawing on seasoned political representatives.
Mr Mollo said the School of Government’s approaches would build a professional cadre of public servants.

For now, PALAMA was working on the coordination of targeted training interventions by HR Connect, a system to determine what skills and competencies gaps were in the public service by sampling. The Sector Skills Plans indicated that in ten years, 40% of public servants would be new employees. The remaining 60% of public servants must be up-skilled on a continued basis.

Mr Mollo spoke about the phased implementation approach from establishment to consolidation, which he referred to as the “road map”. Specifically, he identified all critical facilitators and potential impediments to the establishment of the School of Government, covering the period 19 February 2013 to 21 October 2013.

The Road Map: The Establishment and Launch Phase
An Advisory Task Team on the School of Government with an establishment guiding and steering function was appointed and operational on 19 February 2013. Its members were Prof Job Mokgoro (Chairperson), Prof Itumeleng Mosala, Dr Trish Hanekom, Ms Gemma Cronin, Prof Nomathemba Magi, Prof Vil Nkomo, Prof Mokobung Nkomo, and Mr Barry Gilder. The appointment of a Project Support Manager and team would be completed by 15 March 2013. The School Faculty Configuration and the definition and implementation of an organisational form and structure would be completed by the end of March 2013.
The definition and implementation of a migration plan for current PALAMA staff would be completed shortly. The appointment of strategic faculty staff and of the Strategic Management Team would take place by the end of May 2013. The development of strategic in-service training and development programmes, including the transfer of the Ministerial Programme – Compulsory Induction Programme by and to School of Government Faculty would be completed by 14 June 2013. The development and approval of the Launch Plan would occur at the end March 2013. The launch of the School of Public Service was envisaged for October 2013. The development and approval of marketing, branding, as well as the Communication Programme and Plan would be completed by March/April 2013. The finalisation of the search plan and the approval of the location would take place shortly. The central campus requirements for the School of Government would take place in March 2013 and by the end of April 2013 for the regional centres.
The Operationalisation and Consolidation Plan that determined the strategic functions and systems (AS-IS) to be transferred from PALAMA to the School of Government would take place shortly. The finalisation, approval and implementation of the Operationalisation and Consolidation Plan for the School of Government would take place by the end of April 2013, in consultation with the Advisory Task Team and by the approval of the Minister.

The Road Map: Establishment to Diversification Phase (The Resourcing Plan)
The determination and approval of the budget on cost-drivers on the Establishment Plan occurred on 28 February 2013. The allocation of earmarked funds would occur through reprioritisation in the 2013 PALAMA budget. The budget for the implementation of the operationalisation and consolidation plan for School of Government, in consultation with the Advisory Task Team and by Approval of the Minister, would occur at the end of June 2013.

Discussion
Mr D Ximbi (ANC) said that the School of Government was long overdue, about ten years overdue. He noted that based on his government experience in the late 1970s and early 1980s, job promotions were not allowed unless the individuals had kept up with training. He asked if Mr Mollo and his team could discuss the costs more. He noted that despite past failures related to the public service, that day’s meeting was about delivery, and not merely about talking.

Mr S Marais (DA) said that Mr Mollo’s presentation was fantastic. When he joined the Committee, he had been critical of PALAMA. But this was music to his ears and a move in the right direction. Here was new hope that we can turn this around. Even if a government has the best policies, it cannot succeed without good public servants. He noted that the question he was about to ask may be better suited for the Minister of Public Service and Administration. He asked if there were any incentives to enroll in the School of Government. A marketing strategy was unnecessary because the School of Government would have no competition in South Africa, and suggested that any money intended for a marketing strategy could easily be better spent. He asked how the School of Government would ensure that the faculty, facilitators, and instructors were the best people for the job. Competent trainers were vital. Mr Mollo had mentioned schools of government and public service and similar programmes in China, India, and at The Hague in the Netherlands. He asked what the typical benchmarks were for success, noting that the South African School of Government need not reinvent the wheel. It was important to ensure that the School of Government suited South Africa, but that South Africa could learn from such institutions. Emphasis must be placed on the School of Government financial situation, noting that the Committee had a motivational role to obtain adequate funds. In order to empower the Committee, he asked Mr Mollo to discuss the School’s financial needs in detail, making special note of the deadlines to secure necessary funds. He asked to what extent, if any, the School of Government would collaborate with other institutions. He reiterated the need for the School of Government to offer incentives to attend, especially to attract young people.

Mr D Du Toit (DA) said that it was important for the School of Government to hire suitable people as faculty, facilitators, and instructors in order to avoid breeding a new class of public servants with bad habits. He agreed with the philosophy of hiring teachers with public service experience, but was concerned about the potential for a heavy workload. He suggested that the School of Government budget for extra after-hours pay for its teachers and staff members. Ensuring that teachers and staff members were very available for the students was a necessary cost that must be remunerated. He noticed Mr Mollo was planning to consult with the Portfolio Committee on Labour, but warned that such a consultation may hold up the launch of the School of Government. As a member of the Portfolio Committee on Labour, he recommended forgoing the consultation.

Mr Du Toit noted that officials might want to avoid this course, for fear of being exposed as lacking in public service credentials. He suggested an honest pre-assessment of officials. He stressed the importance of keeping the School of Government’s graduates in South Africa, noting recent news of Australia hiring 200 South African-trained police investigators. He suggested that the School of Government could integrate other programmes later on that could be linked to a specific department, such as a police academy.

Ms M Mohale (ANC) thanked Mr Mollo for a wonderful presentation. She said that the School of Government was unique, but was not certain if it was best to have no relationship with universities.

Mr C Msimang thanked Mr Mollo too. She asked the guests to elaborate on how the courses address the very serious challenges of fraud and corruption in government. It seemed as though most work to prepare for the School of Government was done in 2011 and that the road map did not go into much detail about other steps that must be taken until 2018, when the School of Government was expected to be a fully-fledged institution. She noted her confusion over the PALAMA’s decision to call the School of Government a fully-fledged institution only in 2018, when it graduates its first group.

The Chairperson thanked Mr Mollo again for the presentation. She stressed the importance of the School of Government’s success to combat the lack of appreciation for government due to certain people abusing their power. She suggested that perhaps the School of Government consider its first few years a “pilot” to clarify that it would not be a fully-fledged institution until 2018. She asked the group representing the School of Government to address Member’s questions and concerns.

Prof Itumeleng Mosala said Mr Mollo was making a broad presentation and that certain questions were better suited for the professors. He discussed the importance of responsive courses, physical spaces, and online learning. He said he took some of the Members’ questions as homework assignments. Every school started out as an idea, but he expressed his belief that the School of Government would succeed.

Prof Plaatjes said there was not any competition between the School of Government and other institutions in South Africa. Universities were more focused on cognitive thinking, whereas the School of Government would be focused on professional and vocational training. He hoped that over the next 15-20 years, universities would begin incorporating parts of the School of Government’s programmes into their own curriculums. He thought the establishment of the School of Government presented an opportunity for a paradigm shift; universities could start thinking more about their relationship to what South Africa needs.

Mr Mollo said that the School of Government would motivate the youth to pursue public service careers by creating a positive environment. Its teachers and staff would follow a "just in time principle,” to react to its students’ needs swiftly, even after hours. As a former Commandant of the South African Military Academy, he understood the power of a pride to serve the public. This pride would motivate individuals to attend the School of Government. With the limited resources, the School of Government would experience an “all hands on deck” work ethic. There was a need to discuss the role of the Portfolio Committees on Public Service and Administration and Labour. National Treasury had been on board with the School of Government all along, and had instructed the School of Government to return to the Treasury to request an “extraordinary circumstance” status for the launch of the School. He referenced the Kenyan Institute of Public Service.

The Chairperson noted the engaging discussion and that the Committee was satisfied and supported and was looking forward to the launch of the National School of Government. The Minister of Public Service and Administration has been doing good work as well. Continued collaboration was vital and the School of Government would solve current problems in government.

Committee Programme
The Chairperson noted that last week, the Committee did not hear Treasury’s briefing as expected because Treasury thought it would be better to brief the Committee after the Budget Speech by the Finance Minister. On 6 March, the Committee would discuss how to empower the disabled and how to achieve the 2% employment goal for persons with disabilities. Braille books would be a topic of conversation, because recently, in Limpopo it took about eighteen months for Braille books to be delivered there. On 13 March, the Committee would meet with the Department of Basic Education and the Departments of Women, Children, and Persons with Disabilities, and Public Service. Two weeks after that, the Committee would be meeting on monitoring and government interventions. On 27 March, the Committee would attend a workshop on public service.

The meeting was adjourned.