Commonwealth school for public servants

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33487, 19 March 1974, Page 20

Commonwealth school for public servants

/By

a London correspondent)

Commonwealth Governments are considering a proposal for a study centre for seniori officials. It is too early to think in terms of a venue yet. although Canada has been mentioned as a possibility. Tne centre, if established, would not only contribute on a professional level, but also further increase and strengthen the personal contacts between member governments. The idea for a Commonwealth civil servants “school” was first mentioned at the meeting of heads of government in London in August, 1964. ft came up again when senior officials met in Ottawa in October, 1972. Heads of government then looked at the idea in Ottawa in August, 1973. They asked the Commonwealth Secretariat to study the proposal in detail,' in consultation with Commonwealth governments. Memoranda now circulating are evidence of that consultation. Governments are examining the facilities they already have for the further training of senior staff, where the facilities fall short of needs and how their requirements might be met through a Commonwealth institution. Most Governments have centres for the initial grooming of administrators, and some for training at a higher

level as well. Some govern-i: ments with well-established: institutions welcome trainees I from other Commonwealth! countries. In the last three decades J however, there have been Two important developments.! The number of independent! Commonwealth countries has; risen from five to 33, and I for some of them the development of adequate training; facilities could be a strain on I resources. At the same time, j the business of government; has become more complex, j wider in its area of opera-! tions and calling for a broader range of skills. COMPLEX GOVERNMENT Mid-career training for executives is now accepted in the private sector. Through departments of business administration, many institutions including universities, offer courses in various specialities in the manage- ; merit field. With the growing ramification of government activity, few would gainsay the value of further training for public servants entering the higher levels of responsibility. There ■ is wide acceptance of the importance of training, but not all countries have been able to organise appropriate programmes or institutions. The business of government now embraces far more than collection of revenue, the provision of basic services and the maintenance of law and order. Governments are today involved in industry and agriculture. They

mine and manufacture, ex- 1 tract oil, own farms and 1 plantations. They engage in 'trade, as exporters and: importers, wholesalers andi retailers. They are active in j transport, running air and; shipping lines, road and rail: j services. They have banks land savings institutions. Apart from holding posi-| Tions ot responsibility in such; •enterprises, civil servants; (functioning within depart-; ;ments and"ministries have to! advise ministers on all the (complex aspects of policy in; : these fields. They have also to advise ■on the broad range of; economic and fiscal policies.. Governments have assumed the central responsibility for economic growth. Budgets have to be developmentoriented. Planning is pervasive, and implementation must be made effective. Savings must be encouraged, investment promoted, foreign exchange earned and conserved and employment maximised.

Social problems pose other challenges to today’s bureaucrats. Plural societies generate their own tests of administrative skill. There are questions of minorities, of backward areas, of balance between town and country. The preservation of law and order is no longer a sufficient answer to social discontent. Youthful aspiration calls for new approaches to employment. New models of community action need to be worked out.

Governments must promote social cohesion and engineer social change. They must innovate and motivate. Civil servants can no (longer function in well-ap- ! pointed isolation from the !multitude. They may continue Ito commune with colleagues Through minutes and memoranda bound in red tape, but; ■they must also learn to com-! (municate with the wider pub-; (lie. They must explain and; (win acceptance for what they! (do, and bridge the gap be-' tween them and those they, 'serve.

NEW CONCEPTS New concerns and new concepts keep coming into the bureaucratic vista. Demography, manpower planning, resource policy, programme budgeting, capital-output ratios are but part of the new vocabulary. The State is protean, and its servants must have many skills. Old tools must be sharpened and adapted, some discarded; new techniques fashioned, others mastered. It is these considerations that have prompted Commonwealth governments to re-ex-amine the training of public servants moving up the higher rungs of responsibility. In the next few weeks, Commonwealth capitals will send to the Secretariat in London the results of their assessments. After collating this information, the Secretariat will assemble a small group of experienced Commonwealth officials to take an over-all look at Common-

wealth needs in the field of; advanced training. They will! examine how far existing institutions can be employed, if 1 necessary with the inclusion; of new courses. They will; also consider the organisation; and curriculum of a new! Commonwealth centre for applied studies in government. if such an institution to be the appropriate i answer to current needs. Such a Commonwealth centre would primarily be a venue for instruction with a practical orientation, drawing on Commonwealth-wide expertise. It would also have the advantage of offering a meeting ground, a place where senior officials from different countries could exchange experiences and ideas, and learn from each other as well. There would be a further bonus by way of the personal contacts established. The modern history of the Commonwealth is one of measured response to demonstrated needs. The Commonwealth Secretariat to co-ordi-nate Commonwealth affairs and co-operation generally, and of the Commonwealth Foundation to strengthen professional links were created m the 19605. In the 70s the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation and the Commonwealth Youth Programme have already been created. The next pragmatic step may well be an institution to iimprove operational skills in the public services of the Commonwealth.