By: Audrey Raymonda John
On the path to reforming the public service architecture, the Hon. Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, amidst representatives from the Public Service Commission (PSC), Human Resources Management Office (HRMO), Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU), and the Office of the Chief Minister; undertake inspection of the college grounds – as there is a realistic need for the transformation of the training college into a public service academy.
Minister Amara Kallon, in his discourse at the college grounds, emphasizes MoPAPA’s commitments to such a transformation while taking into consideration challenges highlighted by the college administration—ranging from the lack of adequate accommodation to the development of a required curriculum, amongst others.
In his comments, the Hon. Minister informed that the transformation of the CSTC is at the core of the reformation of the public service, which is the path to ensuring relevance in what the college could offer. He cited the need for a required curriculum that informs the needs of public civil servants for effective service delivery.
To ensure a clear-cut transformation from Civil Service Training College to Public Service Academy, Minister Kallon announced the establishment of 2 significant areas: transitional and re-engineering.
He further stated that a technical team would be focused on the college’s transitional strategy, while the other team (CSTC Board) would be working on the re-engineering strategy.
Minister Amara Kallon disclosed the composition of the technical working team for the transitional strategy, which encompasses representatives from MoPAPA, CSTC, PSC, HRMO, PSRU, and the Office of the Chief Minister—State House, amongst others.
The Minister underscored the need for a national capacity plan with explicit specifics, adding that capacity building is of essence in the 21st-century public service. The Government of Sierra Leone remains poised on the transformation of the Civil Service Training College.
The event was climaxed with a tour of the existing college facility. The Civil Service Training College (CSTC) transformation is a wake-up call, as captured in Pillar 5 of the Big 5 Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) for 2024-2030.