Qualification, age limit for CSS candidates to be taken with PM again

ISLAMABAD: After the rejection of a summary by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for enhancing the age limit for CSS exams, different stakeholders including the Ministry of Planning, Establishment Division and Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) on Friday evolved a consensus for again forwarding the proposal for extending the age limit of candidates from 28 to 30 years and scaling up the education level from 14 to 16 years.

Instead of resubmitting the summary, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal will now send an official communication to PM Nawaz Sharif requesting him to spare time for giving him a detailed presentation in the presence of all the stakeholders in renewed efforts to convince the top political leadership on important civil service reforms in the country.

“All stakeholders have also firmed up proposals to introduce three new groups into civil service including Energy Group, Law Group and Engineering Group and approval of the PM will be sought to go ahead in this regard,” official sources confirmed to The News here on Friday.

Earlier, the PM Secretariat had rejected the summary of the Ministry of Planning and Development on enhancing the age limit and educational qualification.Ahsan Iqbal convened a meeting on Friday in which secretary Establishment Division, Cabinet Division, chairman Federal Public Service Commission and others participated to devise the future strategy for pursuing the much-needed civil service reforms.

According to an official presentation, a copy of which is available with The News, an analysis done on the basis of data given by FPSC showed that 87 percent candidates appearing in the CSS exams possessed master’s level education of 16 years, so keeping in view this empirical evidence, the education level should be enhanced from 14 to 16 years.

Earlier, the Planning Commission had proposed higher level education but later it was agreed among the stakeholders that instead of a sudden jump, there should be only two years enhancement in the education level.

On the maximum age limit for appearing in the CSS exams, it was agreed among the ministries as well as by the FPSC that it should be extended by two years from 28 to 30 years.

The ministries also agreed that for appearing in the CSS exams, there should be some pre-requisite mechanism such as holding of two screening tests for reducing the numbers of candidates for appearing in the competitive exams.

But failing the screening tests will not reduce the three-time limit for appearing in the CSS exams, said the sources.

The Planning Commission also proposed signing of performance contract of 11 selected ministries and a separate summary was lying with the PM. The draft contracts can be used as practice for developing new ones for the fiscal year 2016-17.

If the premier grants his approval, the funds of Rs1 billion were available and three selected ministries could give awards and incentives to its employees in the coming few months’ period.

For providing training to existing bureaucrats, the Ministry of Planning would provide training to 5,000 bureaucrats, including 1,000 senior government officials. Planning Commission Member Governance Tahir Hijazi said that the government was developing reforms agenda to train 5,000 employees of public sector in order to improve the governance structure and service delivery of the country.