For fair assessment of bureaucrats’ performance, integrity: Compromised ACR system being reviewed

ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division is considering introducing an Electronic Performance Evaluation system to objectively assess the performance, output and repute of civilian bureaucrats.

Informed sources said that the proposed system is being devised in order to get fair assessment of civil servants, being evaluated, by their superiors -- reporting officers and the counter-signing officers. It is being discussed that the Establishment Division should directly approach the reporting officer and the countersigning officer through electronic means for their assessment about the officers’ concerned performance, output and integrity.

The Electronic Performance Evaluation system, it is said, will help check the growing trend of government servants getting their personal evaluation report directly from their superiors. These performance evaluation reports, generally known as Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs), are otherwise critically important for promotions and postings of all government servants.

However, the ACR writing system over the years has lost its utility because in the case of a large number of government servants, the ACRs are written on the basis of the kind of relationships between officers concerned and their superiors. In many cases where the relationships are good, the ACRs, which otherwise need to be confidential, are written as per the wishes of the officer being assessed.

Compromised performance evaluation system negatively affects the performance of the government. The consideration to change the system of ACRs, according to the sources, is meant to achieve the objective of fair and objective assessment about the performance and repute of the bureaucrats. The Establishment Division is reviewing the ACR system for the officers belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), Office Management Group (OMG) and Secretariat Group. Initially, when the new Electronic Performance Evaluation system is approved, the implementation will start from BS-17 and BS-18 officers of the PAS, PSP and OMG.

During Imran Khan’s rule, his government’s task force on civil service reforms also proposed a performance evaluation system not only for the members of bureaucracy but also for the cabinet ministers. However, like other reforms, these changes, even after the approval of the PTI cabinet, were never implemented.

The PTI government had approved but never implemented performance agreements between the prime minister and federal ministers as the first step towards comprehensive reforms to improve governance and the performance of entire civil service.

The next step, which was also approved but never implemented, was about the signing of performance agreements between the secretaries (of federal ministries/divisions) and their direct reports and down to the section officer level.