MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO.: 2020
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 8 AUGUST 2013
Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and
Administration:
(1) With reference to the Public Administration Leadership and Management
Academy (Palama), what (a) is the state of readiness and (b)
implementation procedures are in place to enhance the training and
development of public servants to improve productivity;
(2) (a) what are the criteria for interns and (b) will Palama be able to
deal with this demand; if not, what steps will she take to deal with
this matter;
(3) (a) will senior management personnel in various departments be used
to facilitate the training of educational staff and (b) what criteria
will be used to employ experts to lecture on subject matters?
NW2382E
REPLY
1) I am sure the Honourable member is referring to the state of readiness
of the proposed National School of Government and not the Public
Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA). We reviewed
the way PALAMA was operating and arrived at a decision to establish a
School of Government that will provide education, training and
development programmes for the public service. The response below
provides an update on progress made towards the establishment of the
School of Government:
I have established an Advisory Task Team (ATT), with a mandate to make
recommendations on the form, scope, role, operations and structure of
the National School of Government designed and resourced to adequately
meet public sector training needs at all levels of government in South
Africa. Additionally, the ATT is mandated to guide and provide advice
on the critical paths and milestones on the transformation of PALAMA
into the National School of Government. It will also seek to develop a
critical narrative and trajectory on the coordination of public
service training operations and consolidation of practice through
policy, norms and standards focused on curriculum development,
research, training, teaching and learning in the public service and
administration sector. The ATT commenced its work on 19 February 2013
and is to conclude by submitting, for the Ministerâs consideration and
approval, a comprehensive report before the launch of the National
School of Government. The work of the ATT will continue beyond the
launch of the School to guide the transition from PALAMA to the
National School of Government. .
a) The ATT has been working in collaboration with PALAMA in developing
a business case for the National School of Government. This
includes secondary research, institutional performance analyses,
international benchmark studies, undertaking surveys among public
servants, formal engagements with government institutions as well
as members of academic institutions, as well as a review of the
current curriculum offerings towards determining and designing new/
improved curriculum to be offered in the National School of
Government. As committed to in the Budget Speech made by this
Ministry, the National School of Government will be launched on 21
October 2013.
b) With regard to operationalising the National School of Government,
this will be phased in as set out in the strategy and
implementation plan of the National School of Government. The
National School of Government will be responsible for co-ordination
of education, training and development programmes with the
objective of developing a professional, responsive and capable
public service, driven by the imperative of a developmental state
and imbued with a culture and ethos of service. The National
School of Government will support and work with institutions to
identify capacity gaps and education, training and development
programmes will be driven by the identified needs of the
institution in order to improve performance and service delivery.
An immediate priority will be for all newly appointed public
servants to undergo the Compulsory Induction Programme (CIP).
PALAMA has designed curriculum and piloted training materials which
are being assessed with the intention of the rollout of the CIP
under the National School of Government.
2) (a) The Department of Public Service and Administration issued
guidelines on the determination of interns in the public
service. The Honourable Member is referred to DPSA
Circular No. HRD1 of 1999 in this regard. The circular is attached
for ease of reference.
b) It must be noted that PALAMA has developed a training programme
(Breaking Barriers to Entry), which is aimed at preparing
unemployed youth graduates for public service employment
opportunities. Since inception in the 2010/11 financial year and
until the 2012/13 financial year, a total of 6 937 graduates have
been trained, a significant portion of whom are currently employed
as interns in the public service.
3) (a) One of the defining features of the National School of Government
will be the use of
the best available expertise of practitioners within the public
service, combined with capacity sourced from outside of the public
service, including retired public servants, to facilitate learning
and development that is relevant to the needs of the public
service. The application of learning in the work place will be
continuously monitored and evaluated to ensure that learning is
resulting in improved performance and service delivery. Provisions
currently exist in the Public Service Regulations for senior
managers to avail themselves to provide training and therefore this
option is ready for application and currently being tested in the
implementation of the Compulsory Induction and the Breaking-
Barriers to Entry Programmes.
b) The experience and expertise of subject matter experts within the
public service will be combined with in-sourcing the best available
expertise, with an understanding of the character and needs of the
public service.