Latest update March 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 17, 2019 News
In 2015, the Coalition Government entered office, and announced that one of its priorities would be the restructuring of the public service.
For years, the public service has been criticised for poor customer service and a questionable recruitment.
Overwhelmingly, the public service was seen as a mere starting point into the world of work. And like the police and army, it was overwhelming with Afro-Guyanese.
The Bertram Collins College of the Public Service was established at Ogle, where the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was once headquartered. It was intended to create a professional public servant.
The college does not only provide training for current public servants, but also caters to school-leavers who are interested in pursuing a career there.
However, the college has been struggling with ensuring diversity in its student base. The college has taken in over 160 students since its inception and, of that lot, 85 percent are Afro-Guyanese.
The college’s Senior Director, Lawrence Paul, spoke of how the college has been dealing with its student body.
The Bertram Collins College was established by President David Granger, following his outline of his vision for such an institution, as a college that would be the vehicle into the public service.
Paul told Kaieteur News that a proper functioning public service is vital to the smooth functioning of the country.
He said that for the executive government to function effectively, institutions that provide services such as housing, education, healthcare, and law and order, should function effectively.
Asked about the perception of a lack of diversity in the public service, Paul said “I can give you some figures.” He explained that the management of the college has already considered the issue of a lack of diversity.
“I am pretty happy that, in every batch, we are getting a reasonable mix.”
He said that in the first batch, only 16 percent of the students were not Afro-Guyanese, while, in the second and current batches, the percentages were 17 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
He said that, in some situations, “It is very hard to determine one’s ethnicity, from a layman’s point of view.”
However, he noted that the lack of diversity is a concern to the college.
“Years ago, a commission was established to study, among other things, the racial imbalance in the disciplinary forces,” explained Paul. He said that the revelations of that commission found that Afro-Guyanese are much more likely to pursue such careers, than other race.
He thinks it may be a similar situation for the public service and the college, as a person’s ethnicity may inform their culture, religion and way of life.
When asked about the diversity of the staff of the college, he said that it is also something he is conscious of but “some people prefer this job to that job”.
Paul noted that, though they are conscious of the ethnic make-up of the staff, the hiring process is very objective.
The college, according to Paul, has 31 staff members, nine external lecturers and four permanent lecturers.
“When I advertise, I advertise months for staff. It is who applies, who passes the criteria – there are interviews and all of that – but people don’t like to work for public service money”.
The students don’t allow ethnicity to influence how they relate to each other, he said.
“They’re all Guyanese. They play games together, study together, and have everything together.”
According to the official, the interest in public service has been high.
Initially, for the first batch, over 500 persons applied. This was whittled down to about 60 students.
Paul told Kaieteur News that the advertisement programme is very rigorous, with advertisements being placed on a wide range of platforms.
The college, he said, also makes a special effort to advertise in hinterland areas, so that Indigenous youth are also informed about the opportunities the college offers them.
The entry requirements section of the College’s website states “Candidates for the Cadet Programme are selected on a competitive basis. Only those candidates who meet the requirements will be shortlisted and interviewed. The Candidates will be informed of the outcome of the result as soon as the selection process is finalized. Cadets may begin their placements only after they have agreed to the terms and conditions of the Cadet Programme and complete the agreement.”
Anyone, 17 to 21 years of age with six CSEC subjects, including English A and Mathematics at Grades One or Two, is eligible for entry.
He said that there are a series of benefits afforded to students of the college, including transportation, meals, a monthly stipend of $50,000, study tours throughout Guyana, individual laptops, and accommodation for persons from remote areas.
The programme has a classroom component and provision for work attachment. Its duration is for a period of one year. The students also face examinations and continuous assessments throughout the year.
At the end of the training programme, successful cadets will be eligible for appointments within the Public Service and the wider Public Sector.
However, Paul noted that the college has no control over the hiring process after the students have graduated from the college.
He said that successful graduands, which are 99-100 percent of each batch, are placed on Level Three of the public service staff structure.
Paul, who has experience in the army, said that the body had sought to address the same race issue.
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