The Public Service Commission (PSC) announced the resolution of over 300 pending issues that accumulated before it assumed office in July 2023.
PSC Chairman Manniram Prashad revealed this development during a recent address at the launch event of the Public/Police Service Commission Website.
“Within a mere six months, the commission successfully cleared a two-year backlog of work over 300 and something issues were there pending because there were no commission earlier. Our commissioners worked beyond the call of duty, to get up to scratch, and I can tell you as of today, there is no backlog,” he stated.
He also lamented the discrepancies in the operations of the previous commission.
“The last commission issued only one vacancy circular on the 27th of June 2019 for its entire three years…just one vacancy circular, that commission spent over three million dollars to pay a few retired education officers to do shortlisting for the ministry of education only. Interviews were conducted with shortlisted candidates and a few appointments were made, but it didn’t end there, qualified candidates were listed as unqualified and were not short listed and interviewed, persons were offered positions that they did not apply for, total chaos,” Prashad stated.
He highlighted that these discrepancies led to an education officer’s dissatisfaction, prompting them to bring the entire process to the attention of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal (PSAT) for challenge.
During our eight months in office, none of our decisions faced challenges, nor did any require PSAT intervention. Furthermore, all decisions were reached unanimously.
Prashad stressed the pivotal role of human resources in driving the successful execution of the 2024 Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). He emphasized that the newly launched website would aid in these endeavours by facilitating prompt staffing and resource allocation.
He envisioned a future of robust collaboration between the PSC, ministries, and regions, where all parties engage in the recruitment process through the website. Prashad encouraged cooperation in candidate tracking and shortlisting, fostering an open and involved culture.