METHODOLOGY OF PUBLIC POLICY TRAINING INSTITUTIONS
(TOWARDS INTEGRATION OF ENVIORNMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) AND STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT (SEA) IN PUBLIC POLICY TRAINING INSTITUTIONS)
September 2012
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Table of Contents A. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 3 B. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................................... 4 C. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 4 D. INSTITUTIONTAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS TRAINING ................................... 4 E. ASSESSMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 5 i. CAPACITY ........................................................................................................................................ 5 ii. CURRICULUM .................................................................................................................................. 6 iii. TRAINING METHODOLOGY AND TECHNINQUES ............................................................... 13 iv. PARTICIPANTS ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION ..................................................................... 16 v. COURSE REVIEW PROCESS ........................................................................................................ 16 vi. TRAINING NEEDS/GAPS ......................................................................................................... 17 F. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 18 G. RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 18 H. POTENTIAL INTERVENTIONS UNDER NIAP ............................................................................... 19 ANNEXURE-1: STUDY APPROACH AND ACTION PLAN ................................................................................ 21 ANNEXURE-2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARTICIPANTS ...................................................................... 23
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A. INTRODUCTION
1. The National Impact Assessment Programme (NIAP) in Pakistan is currently being implemented to institutionalize the practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in national development planning. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak EPA), the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) and the Planning Commission of Pakistan (PC) are key stakeholders of the NIAP. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is supporting this programme.
2. NIAP aims to contribute to sustainable development in Pakistan through strengthening of the EIA process and introduction of SEA in development planning. Improved EIA will lead to more environmentally conscious development at the project level, while the introduction of SEA will facilitate improved planning, not only by the integration of potential impacts into plan development and decision- making, but also through improved coordination between the authorities involved in planning.
3. Traditionally, the Ministry of Environment has been the apex policymaking body for environment and sustainable development. After the 18 th Amendment, the institutional landscape has changed as the subject environment has been devolved to the provinces while a Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) created at federal level. The Planning and Development Division is the premier body responsible for development planning in the country and, as per current arrangements, EIA is mandatory for all infrastructure projects. The country also has Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at federal level and its counterparts in provinces to enforce relevant laws. However, limited technical capacity within federal and provincial governments and weak enforcement of relevant rules have led to the neglect of environmental sustainability in policy making and implementation. The 18 th
Amendment has given the provinces added responsibility for environment but this will only increase pressure on existing capacity. The arrangements are unclear and provinces still need to develop new rules, systems and regulatory framework to manage some of the devolved functions.
4. In Pakistan, numerous training workshops, exposure visits, and classroom teaching and training for government department have been held to mainstream EIA/SEA. These initiatives, however, have not made much of a difference, as the EIA/SEA has not been properly mainstreamed in the development planning in Pakistan. A primary factor explaining this situation is the high rate of turnover for officials, and a lack of understanding of this tool in relevant departments. Learning from this experience, the NIAP is now planning to focus on integrating SEA in the curriculum of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP). Promotion to higher grades is linked to the civil servants attending different courses of the NSPP. The NSPP is open to working with international partners, for example, it is working with the USAID to 4 embed core-customized elements of institutional development into the NSPP curriculum.
B. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
5. The purpose of this study is to review the existing training curriculum of the NSPP and other important training institutions and propose what needs to be done to integrate EIA and SEA in their curriculum. The assessment also covers capacity aspects of individuals and departments involved in training delivery and proposes the kind of courses that need to be introduced.
C. METHODOLOGY
6. The assessment focused primarily on the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) as it has exclusive mandate to train civil servants in Pakistan. As part of this assessment, training design, course contents, training methodology, quality of visiting and permanent faculty, and evaluation of course participants, course review process were reviewed. Interviews of the officials 1
of the NSPP and course participants were also conducted during this exercise. Annexure-1 (Study Approach and Action Plan including Questionnaire for the NPSSs officials) and Annexure-2 (Questionnaire for Course Participants) indicate our approach and questionnaires used to gather information for analysis. 7. The first draft of the report is now ready for stakeholders. We will incorporate stakeholders feedback on the draft report appropriately in this document. We will also organize a national workshop in Islamabad to share the revised draft with stakeholders and further improve it in the light of stakeholders feedback. The report will respond to all the requirements given in Para 3 of the TORs.
D. INSTITUTIONTAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS TRAINING
8. The National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) was established in March 1961 under the West Pakistan Government Educational and Training Institutions Ordinance, 1960. It operated as a semi-autonomous organization under the administrative control of the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan until 2005. It is now merged with the National Management College (NMC), as Senior Management Wing (SMW) imparting training to civil servants in B-19, to form the National School of Public Policy (NSPP).
9. The NSPP has constituent units and integral units. The constituent units are National Institutes of Management (NIM) in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Islamabad 2
1 List of officials interviewed would be added as Annexure once interviews are over. and Civil Services Academy (CSA), Lahore. The integral units are the 2 National Centre for Rural Development (NCRD) acts as the NIM, Islamabad for purpose of MCMC Program for Islamabad based officers. 5 National Management College, Executive Development Institute, and National Institute of Public Policy. Other civil training institutions of the federal government may also become constituent units provided they meet certain criteria. The NSPP has led to the standardization of in-service training program of civil servants. For example, the Mid Career Management Course (MCMC) mandatory for civil servants promotion from B-18 to B-19 has been standardized and made more coherent. All NIMs follow the same syllabi for this intensive program. Similarly, the Senior Management Course (SMC), mandatory for civil servants promotion from B-19 to B- 20 has been standardized. The National Management Course (NMC), which is mandatory for civil servants promotion from B-20 to B-21, has also been standardized. It may be added that the civil servants posted in the Gilgit-Baltistan Province and AJK also participate in the training programs of the NSPP. Some B-20 officers attend the National Defense Universitys Master Program in public policy which is also acceptable in lieu of the NMC. The University is located in Islamabad and it does not offer a specialized curriculum like that used in the NSPP for training of B-20 officers. Few spots are available to civil servants for this option and therefore it is an insignificant entry point for the IUCN.
10. Roughly speaking, 700-800 civil servants participate in training at different constituent and integral units of the NSPP annually. These officers hold senior positions in federal, provincial and district governments and, therefore, they can play a significant role in institutionalizing the practice of SEA in government operations.
11. In addition to the NSPP, the Audit and Accounts Training Institute (AATI) of the Auditor-General of Pakistan (AGP) is an important institution where auditors may be trained in how to integrate SEA in statutory audits where appropriate. The AATIs head office is in Lahore with its regional offices in provincial headquarters. The Auditor General reports are presented to the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) at the national and provincial levels. Before this presentation, Field Audit Offices review audit findings with Principal Accounting Officers (PAOs) at the Department Accounts Committees (DACs) level at national and provincial level. Thus, audit process can be used to sensitize PAOs and also members of the PACs to the SEA process and to gradually mainstream it in the working of the government.
12. Following the proposed approach for this study, a literature review was carried out. Selected unstructured interviews of officials involved in training at the NSPP were conducted. In addition, some officers who recently completed training at the NSPP were also interviewed. We also looked at the syllabi of some of the training courses conducted under the NSPP. Following are our preliminary findings.
E. ASSESSMENT
i. CAPACITY
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13. The NSPPs key positions are held by civil servants representing different occupational groups. Most of them have served in district, provincial, and federal governments in different capacities and some of them hold advanced degrees in disciplines such as economics, public policy, government, and business from leading universities of the United States. However, their core experience has been service delivery rather than teaching fellow civil servants. Thus, the NSPP almost entirely depends on visiting faculty/Resource Persons (RPs) to impart training. Subject matter specialists from the government or private sector are invited as RPs to deliver lectures/workshop on selected topics as per the training schedule. This modality is flexible in that it allows enough room to accommodate any subject in the curriculum as subject matter experts may be engaged from the market and the NSPP has no financial constraint. NSPPs internal capacity is not an indicator of whether of not it can teach EIA and SEA. The NSPP can use external resource person(s) to teach the civil servants EIA and SEA.
14. The AATI conducts numerous courses on accounting and audits but it lacks capacity to train auditors in environmental audits and SEA is totally new phenomenon to this organization. In fact, it has been trying to engage an environmental auditor to develop multi-sector guidelines on environment auditing and also to train staff so as to enable them to identify and conduct environment audits. The AATI, for the most part, depends on its permanent faculty to deliver lectures on different types of audits though it also engages Resource Person(s) both from the government and private sectors for specialized subject from time to time. However, the AATI offers resource person(s) a rate that in one-tenth of the rate offered by the NSPP. Another aspect is that auditors need much deeper understanding than a lecture or two would impart. Thus, short-term technical support for the AATI is worth considering.
ii. CURRICULUM
15. The NSPP follows standardized curricula in its training programs. The Common Training Program (CTP), designed for fresh entrants to civil services, helps participants understand how government works. It orientates fresh entrants to the basic concepts of economics, IT, political and administrative arrangements for service delivery, quantitative tools for decision making, public sector management, personnel and office management, professional and social ethics, basics of computer and IT etc. The duration of this course is 7 months.
16. Once civil servants are ready for promotion to B-19, they are required to attend the MCMC at one of the NIMs in provincial headquarters or Islamabad. The MCMC focuses on building knowledge, skills, and leadership potential in civil servants at operational/tactical level.The duration of this course is 10 weeks. Civil servants are sensitized to public interest issues and groomed for service delivery. The MCMCs five modules and course contents are summarized in Table-1 below: 7
Table-1 No. Module Name Course Contents 1 Institutional framework of strategic management and important national issues of Pakistan. Methodology and Processes (Public Policy), National Quest for Water and Its Management, Issues of Human Rights, Issues of Provincial Autonomy, Countering Terrorism at Divisional and District Level, Administrative Peculiarities of GB & AJK, Administrative Peculiarities of FATA and PATA, Supply, Distribution and Use of Energy in Pakistan, Regional Security and Foreign Policy, Extremism and its impact on Pakistan, Rising Urbanization and Challenges to Vibrant Cities, National Heritage. Simulation Exercise (Minor)
2 Governance modalities and downstream administrative structures at the Operational & Tactical Levels of Government. Administrative Structure and Federal, Provincial and District levels, Federal and Provincial Rules of Business, Revisiting Estacode and Secretariat Instructions, 18 th
Amendments and Related Challenges, Interagency Process for Operational Effectiveness, Judicial Review of Administrative Action, E-Governance and Its Utility in Service Delivery, Accountability, From Reactive to Proactive Governance, Office Procedures and Disciplinary Actions, Administrative Discretion, Local Self-Governance in Pakistan, Regulating Law and Order-Present and Future Challenges, Media Activism and Service Delivery, Pakistan Parliamentary Form of GovernmentNational and Provincial Set UP, Case Study Research 3 Public Sector ManagementTheory and Its Application at Operational/Tactical Levels. Essential of Public Service Management and Leadership, Institutional Performance Evaluation Systems, Emotional Literacy, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Crisis andDisaster Management, Team Building, Performance Audit, Change Management, Communication and Presentation Skills, Time and Workload Management, Ethics in Public Service Delivery, Negotiations Skills, Anger Management, Performance Management in Public Sector-Conceptual Overview, 8 Performance Management and HRM, Performance Management in Organizations, Case Study Simulation Exercise ( Major) 4 Economics & Finance as applicable to operational management. Basic Concepts of Micro and Macroeconomics, Fiscal and Monetary Policies, Pakistans Economy-Domestic, Regional and Global Context, Poverty Reduction Strategies, Pakistan Agriculture and Industry-Impact of WTO, Public Financial Management-Role of Principal Accounting Officers, Preparation of Departmental and District Budget, Project Management and Project Management Tools, Role of Regulatory Bodies at Operational and Tactical Level, Support Price Mechanism in Agriculture Sector-Implications After 18 th
Amendment, Public-Private Partnership Operational Issues, Taxation System at Provincial and Local Levels, Public Procurement Rules in Pakistan, MS Project, Data Analysis for Effective Decision Making, Case Study Simulation (Major) 5 Research and Field Study Tours Lecture Discussion on Research Methods In-Land Study Tour, and Presentation Local Visits (6)
17. When civil servants are ready for promotion to B-20, they are required to attend SMC at the Senior Management Wing (SMW) of the NPSS. The SMC focuses on improving knowledge, attitudes, skills and leadership ability in civil servants. The officers learn to develop operational strategy and action plans and techniques for monitoring. The duration of this course is 20 weeks. The SMCs six modules along with course contents are illustrated in Table-2 below:
Table-2 No. Module Name Course Contents 1 National Environment: Issues of Internal and External Dynamics Determinants of foreign policy, Statecraft Methodology and Process of Policy Formulation, Overview of Pakistans Relations with Major Powers USA and China, Pakistans Relations with Regional Countries (Afghanistan, Iran & CARs), Pakistans Relations with Economically Important Countries, Indo-Pak Relations, Values, Beliefs & Attitudes - their 9 Impact on Governance, Ethics and Governance, Sources of Public Policy and Issues of Implementation & Governance, Issues of Governance and Service Delivery at the Provincial Level, Counter-Terrorism Strategy and State Response, Pakistans Heritage, Talks by Councillor General ( India, US, Iran per availability) 2 Diversity of Pakistani State & Society: Its Impact on Administration and Service Delivery Pakistan State and Society, Socio-Cultural Diversities within Punjab Province and Their Impact on Public Service Management, Socio-Cultural Diversities within KP, FATA, FR and PATA and their Impact on Public Service Management, Socio-Cultural Diversities within Sindh Province and their Impact on Public Service Management, Socio-Cultural Diversities within Balochistan Province and their impact on Public Service Management, Peculiarities of Politico- Administrative Arrangements and Governance in Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK, Marginalized Sections of Society including Minorities, Women and Children, Development of Arts & Literature and its Impact on Pakistani Society, Sectarian Conflict and its Administrative Management, Islam and Modern Islamic State, Case Study-I: Land Administration System: Socio-Economic-Political Dynamics at the Operational Level 3 Economics and Financial Management at Operational Level Basic economic concepts and theories, fiscal and monetary policies, economic development, Application of Tools for Policy Analysis and Decision Making, Macro Economic Planning in Pakistan, Role of International financial assistance in Pakistans Economy, Understanding Financial Statements and Project Appraisal Techniques (Financial Analysis), Workshop on Project formulation appraisal and implementation, Public Finance Local Resource Generation , Utilization and Financial Externalities, Workshop on Project Management, Taxation Structure in Pakistan (Federal, Provincial and District), Challenges to Agriculture in Pakistan, Alleviating Urban/Rural Poverty in Pakistan, Small & Medium Scale Entrepreneurship Development, Large Scale Industrial Development in Pakistan, Trade Policy and its Implementation, Role of market in influencing policy formulation and policy implementation, Economic & Financial Issues of State Owned Entities(SOE)-PIA/Railways, Energy Deficit, Case 10 Study on Izhar Limited A Case of Entrepreneurship 4 Issues of Operational Effectiveness within Strategic Governance Framework Conceptual Framework of Public Service Management , Emotional Literacy/Intelligence & Stress Management, Leadership And Successful Leadership Models,Leadership, Subordinate Legislation: Governance And Policy Implementation In Pakistan, Effective Negotiations, Strategic Management; Operational Planning and Implementation, Strategy Implementation, Federal Provincial and Local Government Structures In Pakistan, Federal Provincial and Local Government Structures In Pakistan (Federal Level), Federal Provincial and Local Government Structures in Pakistan (Provincial Level) , Federal Provincial and Local Government Structures in Pakistan (Local Level), Human Resource Management at Operational Level, Performance Indicators for Improving Service Delivery in Public Sector of Pakistan, Media Handling In Public Sector Organizations, Case Study:Organization, governance and strategic management PHA. 5 Research Methodology & Research Introduction to Research Methodology, Research Process, Data Collection ( I&II ), Style and Form of the Paper, Notes & Bibliography, Presentation Skills, Effective Writing Skills, Thinking and Reasoning, Communication Skill ( Presentations) 6 Inland Study Tour and Local Visits to understand working of the government and private sector institutions In-Land Study Tour Local Visits covered energy sector, local industry, national heritage, and deeni madaris.
18. The National Management Wing of the NPSS organizes National Management Course (NMC) for officers who are in promotion zone from B-20 to B-21. It seeks to enable senior officers of the Federal and Provincial Civil Services, friendly countries (allied participants), armed forces and senior executives from the private sector to understand factors bearing on formulation and implementation of public policy, with a view to preparing them for assignments at national policy level.The duration of this course is 22 weeks. The NMCs six modules along with course contents are described in Table-3 below:
Table-3 11 No. Module Name Course Contents 1 Statecraft and Public Policy Statecraft- Methodology and Process of Policy Formulation- A Generic View , Constitutional Practices in Pakistan in the Context of Effective Governance, Military Interventions and Judicial Decisions ,Statecraft in a Modern Islamic State ,Sectarianism in Pakistan and its Impact on Public Policy and Statecraft in Pakistan , Pakistans Relations with Regional Countries ( India ran, Afghanistan and CARs), , Pakistans Relations with Economically Important Countries, , Pakistans Relations with Major Powers (USA, China and Russia), , Sources of Public Policy ,Purpose of the State, National Interests, Aims and Objectives of the State ,Impact of External Dynamics on Policy Processes ,Role of Islam in State and Role of State in Religious Practices of the Citizens-Case of Hudood Ordinance , National Comprehensive Security ,18th Amendment-Financial Aspects and Capacity Building Issues, Andruni aur Beruni Muharrikat aur Public Policy, Call on the President, Prime Minister, CMs and Governors of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Talk by the Ambassador of US, India, China, Iran, Afghanistan, Russian, France, UK, Germany, Japan 2 Socio-Cultural Dynamic of Pakistan:Human Developementand Public Service Management Socio-Cultural Environment of Pakistan and its Impact on Promotion of National Harmony, Values, Beliefs and Attitudes and their Impact on Policy Formulation and Implementation, Role and Status of Women in Pakistan and Gender Issues ,Civil Society: Role in Social Development in Pakistan ,Development of Culture and Entertainment Industry and its Impact on Pakistani Society ,Child Welfare in Pakistan ,Pakistans Heritage,Women Empowerment , Human Resource Empowerment (Education Policy Merged) ,IMF Paper ,Public Service Enter[rises (P.S.E) ,Law & Order and Criminal Justice System ,Higher Education Commission and its Role/Impact on Quality of Higher Education in Public and Private Sectors ,Development of Sports and its Impact on Pakistani Society 3 Economics and Finance for Socio- Economic Development and Political Stability Micro and Macroeconomics - Concepts and Theories ,Economic Development ,Understanding of Corporate & Public Financial Statements,Overview of Economy of Pakistan ,Monetary and Fiscal Policies vis--vis Global Financial Management ,Macroeconomic Stability and Development Strategy in Pakistan ,Growth, Poverty and Income Distribution ,Fiscal Policy: Taxation and 12 Expenditure Policy ,Debt Management Policy ,Monetary Policy and the Issue of Autonomy of State Bank of Pakistan ,Capital Market Development in Pakistan and its Regulation ,The Challenges of Industrialization in Pakistan ,Trade Lead Growth: Challenges and Prospects ,Domestic Commerce and Trade in Pakistan; Perspective, Prospects and Challenges ,Agricultural Policy ,Financial System of Pakistan and its Linkages with Global Finance and Influence of IFIs on Policy Formulation in Pakistan ,Energy Challenges ,Framework for Economic Growth- Strategy Paper May 2011-Planning Commission ,Economic Development, Political Stability and National Security 4 Governance, Strategic Management and Leadership Governance: General Perspective ,Public Management and Process of Change in Pakistan ,National Leadership and Institutional Framework ,Emotional Literacy and Stress Management ,Rules of Business and Institutional Mechanism for Facilitating the Process and Methodology of Public Policy Formulation in Pakistan ,Pay & Pensions Commissions Report 2009 In the Context of Improved Performance of Governance ,Water Issues Treaties & Disputes ,Media (Print & Electronic) and Statecraft ,Public Service Institutions and their Economic/Strategic Management- Pakistan Railways/PIA ,Strategy Formulation ,Leadership and Decision Making 5 Research Methodology and Research General Introduction to Research Methodology: ,Epistemology of Social Sciences Research , Empiricism and Empirical Method ,Research Process ,Data Collection-1 ,Data Collection-2 ,Style and Form of the Paper ,Notes and Bibliography ,Workshop on Notes and Bibliography ,Thinking & Reasoning ,Communication & Presentation Skills ,(Research Proposal, including the Process of Writing Statement of the Problem ,Data Analysis and Interpretation (Hands on Training-HoT) 6 Local and Foreign Study Tour Local study tours helped officers understand the working of public and private sector institutions. Foreign Study Tour exposed participants of the NMC to good practices that can be replicated in Pakistan.
19. Similarities in the structure of these courses are noteworthy but as civil servants move up the ladder from the CTP to the NMC, the thrust of training courses shifts toward strategic management and leadership in governance. The format used is workshop, lectures, tutorial discussions in syndicates, field visits, which is appropriate for the audience. In the case of the NMC, a foreign visit is also part of the 13 course to expose course participants to the good international practices. Notable emphasis is placed on officers participation in discussion and other activities.
20. It is noted that the courses on environmental management and assessment are few. However, there is opportunity to integrate this subject in the curricula given the flexible methodology used in the NSPP.
21. Some officers participate in the National Defense Universitys Masters Program in Strategic Management instead of the NMC. Its curriculum is standardized and not specifically tailored to the requirements of civil servants. Less than 5 spots are made available to civil servants for this program and, therefore, it is not feasible entry point for the IUCN.
22. The AATI offers numerous short courses for its officials from B-17 to B-19. The officers of the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Services (PA&AS) also attend CTP, MCMC, SMC, and NMC like other occupation groups. The curriculum covers topics of financial management with larger focus on audits. However, there is hardly any course on environmental audit because of capacity constraint as pointed out in Para-13 above.
iii. TRAINING METHODOLOGY AND TECHNINQUES
23. Typically, the SMC, NMC and MCMC comprise the following pedagogical instruments:
a. Lecture Discussion (LD): A LD is a two-hour session in which an expert delivers a lecture on a topic under one of the course modules for about 45 minutes which follows a Question and Answer (Q&A) session. The Chief Instructor (CI) and permanent faculty (Directing Staff) attend these L.Ds. The Q&A session is regulated to make sure that every participant gets a chance to ask questions during L.Ds. For each L.D, the NSPP designates one/two participants to write a synopsis capturing key points of the L.D. The synopsis is evaluated for quality and affects participants overall grading in the course.
b. Panel Discussion (PD): A PD is a three-hour session in which two experts are invited to present their views on a subject under one of the course modules. The experts get 45 minutes each to present their views. This follows a Q&A session of 90 minutes. The Chief Instructor and permanent faculty (Directing Staff) attend these P.Ls. Like L.D, the Q&A session is regulated. For each L.D, the NSPP designates one/two participants to write a synopsis capturing key points of the L.D. The synopsis is evaluated for quality and affects participants overall grading in the course.
c. Tutorial Discussion (TD): A TD occurs in small groups known as syndicates. For this purpose, course participants are divided into groups of 10-12. Syndicates are 14 notified right at the start of each term of the course. In case of the SMC, each participant is assigned to three different syndicates in three terms. Each syndicate has a Sponsoring Directing Staff (SDS). Reading material, prepared by the NSPP, is provided in advance with the expectation that participants will have read it before they convene for T.Ds in their respective syndicate rooms. For each T.D, members of the syndicates are required to elect a Chairman and a Secretary. The Chairman leads the discussion while the Secretary takes notes and prepares a report on the discussion. The report is evaluated for quality and affects the assessment of participants that play the roles of the Chairman and the Secretary. It is not uncommon for the SDS to take a quiz before discussion to test whether participants are ready for discussion. The SDS also set over all direction for discussion.
d. Current Issue Presentation (CIPs): The purpose of CIPs is to sharpen analytic skills and enable them to strategize policy implementation. Each participant proposes three current issue topics. The NSPP may, however, assign a different topic. Each participant is required to complete his or her presentation in 30 minutes. The CI and permanent faculty (Directing Staff) evaluate presentations and raise questions to make sure that participants are fully prepared on the issue. Some participants are asked to repeat their presentation if they dont meet the expectation of the NSPP. Course participants can not ask questions.
e. Service Group Presentation: The NSPP require the senior-most officers of different services/organizations to make presentation on their service group/organization. The officers get 45 minutes to make presentation while 15 minutes are kept for Q&A session. Course participants can ask questions. The presentations cove historical background, organization structure, organizational effectiveness, strengths and weakness analysis, promotion prospects etc.
f. Simulation: The purpose of this exercise is to put course participants in a real-life like situation with time and resource constraint and a set of hurdles to overcome through appropriate interventions. Participants learn to identify gaps in institutions and policies, prioritize issues, develop workable action plans, and mechanisms to monitor implementation progress of these plans. They are encouraged to be innovative and sensitive to contingency planning in an uncertain world. A simulation exercise takes 8-10 days to complete. Participants are divided into Research Analysis Groups (RAGs) and Syndicates. A RAG usually comprises 5-6 participants while a Syndicate has 7-8 participants. The exercise is structured in such a way that RAGs work directly feed into the work of Syndicates. In SMC, there are three simulation exercises, one in each term. The NSPP usually picks one sector in each exercise, breaks it into different bits, distributes these bits between RAGs and Syndicates, and assigns SDS to provide direction3
3 During the 11 th SMC, the NSPP covered (a) Public Service Delivery: Issues in Urban Management of Lahore (b) Energy: Strategy and Implementation in Pakistan and (c) Commerce and Trade: Challenge and Prospects. . Each RAG/Syndicate has a 15 leader who is responsible for presentation. Simulation is the most important training activity during the MCMC, SMC, and NMC. Each course has three simulation exercises4
. g. Analysis Papers (APs): The NSPP focuses on sharpening analytical skills in the civil servants. Thus, LDs, PDs, Simulation, and other exercises aim at promoting analytical thinking. The NSPP continuously assesses participants progress in this regard through the quality of questions asked, syndicate reports, synopsis, etc. APs are designed to test whether participants can apply analytical skills while handling issues of public policies or not. The scope of APs is broad-based as public policy and statecraft itself. The difficulty level of APs increases as participants move from one term to another5
. APs are prominent features of both SMC and NMC. h. Study Tours: Participants are exposed to the working of different sectors. They are broken into small groups and taken to the local government offices and commercial enterprises. They learn how these organizations are facing different challenges and draw lessons for other sectors. In-Land Study Tours are also important component of the MCMC and SMC. Participants are divided into smaller groups for this purpose and taken to different cities/areas. Each Local/In-Land Study group gets given clear Terms of Reference (TORs) before-hand so that it can ask focused questions during visits and learn what is important. At the end of these visits, group coordinators make presentations. After presentations, the SDS randomly selects participant for asking a question. That keeps all participants focused on what is being presented and helps disseminates group learning among other groups as well. In the case of NMC, participants are also taken abroad to learn best international practices that can be replicated in Pakistan to improve service delivery.
i. Individual Research Papers (IRPs): This activity prepares participants to conduct research in public policy. Participants learn research methodology and carry out research on assigned topics during their training. They are required to submit final papers before the closing of the course. It enables participants to analyze and interpret contemporary issues, identify policy options, and formulate informed policies. Participants propose a few topics but it is the discretion of the NSPP to assign any research topic that it deems appropriate. At times, some participants are also required to make presentation on their IRP. In such cases, when a presentation is over, the CI randomly asks some participants to ask questions. Panel experts are also picked from among the participants and ask to critique the IRP report and presentation. This activity is part of the MCMC, SMC and NMC.
4 The focus, composition, and scope of simulation exercises will vary from course to course. The description given here is based on review of the structure of 11 th SMC Course at the SMC Wing, NSPP, Lahore. 5 For example, in the case of SMC, the requirement gets harder as one moves from term 1 to term 3. The outputs of participants analytical thinking is 3-4 pages for AP-1, 5-6 pages for AP-2, and 8-9 pages for AP-3. 16 j. Extra- curriculum activities: Course participants are also required to participate in extra-curricular activities through out their respective courses. This builds interpersonal skills and gives participants a chance to learn from each other.
iv. PARTICIPANTS ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
24. During pre-service training at CSA, the effectiveness of training is judged largely on periodic internal exams. In addition, participants' performance in extra-curricular activities is also considered. During MCMC, SMC, and NMC, different techniques are used for assessment. Each faculty member grades participants individually for each activity that they perform. Before any activity, clear requirements are conveyed through hand-outs and participants are required to meet those requirements during the activity. This makes sure that assessment/evaluation is transparent and objective. In addition to the faculty, the CI rigorously monitors the performance of each participant through out the course. In the case of APs 6
, participants responses are coded before distribution among the faculty members for review and grading. The faculty members dont know whose papers they are reviewing. In addition to the faculty, the CI also reviews these APs to make sure that these have been assessed objectively by the faculty. In some cases, even Reactor looks at some responses for quality assurance. In case of simulation, experts on the subject are invited to review the presentations of RAG/Syndicate after the end of simulation exercise. These experts ask questions to make sure that RAGs/Syndicates have developed a thorough understanding of the subject during this exercise. Participants are also required to write synopsis of a TD/PD session. The quality of synopsis is also appraised. For the most part, Q&A sessions are regulated to make sure that every participant gets a fair number of chances to raise questions after TD/PD. Those asking crisp and relevant questions that generate additional important information for all participants are rated higher. The CI also interviews all participants to better understand them and validate participants overall ratings/evaluation in a course. Use of different techniques in assessment/evaluation minimizes the risk that officers would be judged subjectively. 25. The AATI generally conducts short courses and no formal assessments are made. Case study and lectures are prominent means for training delivery.
v. COURSE REVIEW PROCESS
26. Before the end of every regular training course at the NSPP, a Course Review Committee (CRC) comprising course participants is constituted to look into the course structure, course contents, and delivery etc and ascertain whether the course has achieved its intended outcome. The CRC gathers and analyzes relevant
6 Performance in APs significantly affects overall grading because unlike any other activity, participants exclusively depend on their innate analytic ability to respond to the issues raised in the AP material within given time in a formal testing environment. 17 information, and prepares a report. The report is presented to the management of the course concerned. External reviewers, who are usually participants of earlier but the same courses, are invited to provide feedback on the work of the CRC. The faculty of the concerned course examines the CRCs recommendation and initiates the process of changing the course if required.
vi. TRAINING NEEDS/GAPS
27. As stated earlier in Para 12, the NPSS engages Resource Persons (RPs) for panel discussions/lectures/workshops in its training courses for which it has a more than adequate budget each year. The NSPP, therefore, has no training need in terms of subject matter expertise for EIA and SEA. Interaction with participants of different courses, however, reveals following shortcomings
The curriculum review carried out above (Para 13-17 above) clearly points out significant duplication/overlaps in MCMC, SMC, and NMC. It may be the reflection of training needs of different tiers of officers not being properly worked out and integrated in training design.
The course contents are of primary relevance to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) 7
, Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), and Pakistan Foreign Service (FSP). Officers representing other occupational groups and ex-cadre are forced to learn what may not be relevant to their work. The NSPP does not have any backward linkage with the departments that send officers for mandatory courses. If the departments can identify and communicate training needs of their officers and the NSPP can somehow integrate those needs in its training design, it would magnify the impact of training on service delivery. This linkage does not exit right now. The quality of reading material especially one used for tutorial discussion in syndicates needs more variety. While professionals are advocating use of case studies in adult learning and the NSPP has also made progress in this regard, reliance on lectures remains considerable. The quality of material and limited use of case study method may be due to the fact there is no dedicated organizational unit for these purposes.
Staff at the NSPP requires more training to facilitate and optimize learning processes through effective mentoring. Currently, this component is only loosely embedded in the NSPPs training programs and its formal integration will enhance the effectiveness of training.
7 The District Management Group (DMG) has recently been renamed as the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) 18 The NSPP does not have any forward linkage with government departments where officers go to work after training. In the absence of this linkage, the NSPP does not get any feedback on whether its training has added to the capacity of civil servants for service delivery. As premier training institution of civil servants, the NSPP needs to closely monitor how its activities are contributing toward governance improvement in the country.
And finally, the NSPPemphasizes research in its programs but this research work is not formally linked with the working of federal ministries or provincial departments. This linkage needs to be established as per its mandate.We feel that these areas need to be examined and steps taken to improve the quality of programs offered at the NSPP.
28. The AATI clearly needs technical support in developing training modules and trainers for environmental audits geared toward EIA and SEA. Currently, the AGP office lacks specialized auditing skills in this area and that is the reason that auditors are not picking up these environmental issues effectively in their audit reports.
F. CONCLUSION
29. The establishment of the NSPP has created an opportunity for more focused and effective training of civil servants in Pakistan. The NSPPs autonomy allows it to diversify the topics covered in its training programs, thus creating space for the inclusion of EIA and SEA in civil servants training programs. Most of the lectures are delivered by the visiting faculty, and therefore there is no structural barrier to engage experts in the field of EIA and SEA for this purpose.The NSPP employs different tools and techniques in training and uses objective criteria for grading participants. That enhances the effectiveness of training. The NSPP continuously reviews its different programs through CRCs. However, one can see duplication/overlaps in the design of MCMC, SMC and NMC that need to be plugged in to align trainings with the requirement of all occupational groups and ex-cadre officers. The NSPP is open to fresh ideas and willing to collaborate with the private sector to improve its effectiveness. Apart from the NSPP, the AATI is another promising entry point for the NIAP as the AGP, the parent office of the AATI, has been keen on up-dating its skills of its auditors in environment audits.
G. RECOMMENDATIONS
30. Based on the points mentioned above, we suggest the following changes in policy:
i. There is some duplication in the modules of the MCMC, SMC, and NMC, which needs to be removed. There is little value in teaching civil servants the same topic three times in their career.
19 ii. Training needs of different occupational groups/ex cadre officials are different and these differences should be considered in designing training programs. The NSPP may create mechanism to identify training needs more structurally in collaboration with government departments that depute officials for training.
iii. Topics of environment and especially EIA and SEA need to be included in the curricula of the NSPPP starting from the CTP down to the NMC.
iv. A dedicated unit for course design and material development needs to be created.
v. Lectures need to be minimized and, instead, case study method should be used involving group discussion.
vi. Role of permanent faculty (Directing Staff) needs to be re-defined. The faculty should be given more responsibility of mentoring and preparing policy briefs for the government. A lot of research takes place in the NSPP but the research outputs are generally shelved after training programs. Some of the research outputs can be developed into policy briefs for the federal/provincial governments.
vii. Forward linkages with government departments need to be established to get feedback on the performance of officers who attend mandatory training programs. The NSPP should track whether its training programs are making a difference through these linkages.
viii. The AATI may be assisted in capacity building of auditors in environment audits.
H. POTENTIAL INTERVENTIONS UNDER NIAP 31. The NIAP can do two things immediately. First, it can engage with the NSPP to sensitize them to the importance of intensifying focus on environment and especially EIA and SEA. There is limited, if any, understanding of EIA and SEA tool in policy circles and that may be responsible for neglect of this subject in the curricula. By assuring the supply of subject matter expertise through a long-term commitment, the NSPP may be persuaded to accommodate this subject in its training courses. Secondly, the NIAP may help the NSPP in establishing a course design and material development unit. This will entail engaging a short-term consultant for developing case studies and other material for different courses at the NSPP.
20 32. For the AATI, the NIAP needs to follow the same strategy. The positive thing is that the AGP office is aware of the importance of EIA and SEA and looking for technical support in this area. The NIAP can leverage this opportunity to develop in the AGP office capacity for conducting environmental audits focusing especially on EIA and SEA aspects. A short-term consultant will be required to carry out this work in collaboration with the AATI.
21 ANNEXURE-1: STUDY APPROACH AND ACTION PLAN
1. We plan to conduct background research on the establishment of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) to understand the intent behind its creation and its modus operandi. We will also look at organizational arrangements managing and delivering trainings at the NSPPs constituent and integral units. We will then review training design, course content, training methodology, quality of visiting and permanent faculty, and how trainees are graded in different programs. We would draw conclusions regarding the extent to which the training is effective in achieving its intended outcomes. We will focus on identifying strengths and weaknesses of the NSPP and suggest steps that can enhance its effectiveness as a premier training institute of civil servants in Pakistan.
2. Once the draft report is ready, it will be shared with stakeholders and feedback received from them would be incorporated appropriately. We will also organize a national workshop in Islamabad to share the revised draft with stakeholders and further improve it in the light of their feedback. The report will respond to all the requirements given in Para 3 of the TORs.As stated above, we plan to use structured questionnaire to solicit information from the officials of the NSPP.
No. Activity Timelines 1 Obtain relevant documents (syllabi of the NSPPs programs) April 16-20, 2012 2 Preliminary review of the syllabi of different programs April 23-27, 2012 3 Draft Inception Note, Study Approach and Action Plan May 2-4, 2012 4 Meeting with some officials of the CSA, SMC Wing May 7-11, 2012 5 Assess institutional capacity at CSA and SMC Wing and determine gaps that need to be plugged in to introduce EIA and SEA in training programs
6 Meeting with some officials of the MCMC, and NMC Wing May 14-18, 2012 7 Assess institutional capacity of the MCMC, and NMC Wing and determine gaps that need to be plugged in to introduce EIA and SEA in training programs
8 Visit of Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta to assess faculty and training facilities May 21-31, 2012 9 Detailed review of the syllabi of CSA, MCMC, SMC, and NMC 10 Prepare the first draft of the study report June 7, 2012 11 Circulate the draft report for feedback among stakeholders June 14, 2012 12 Revise the study report per comments June 22, 2012 13 Design and deliver workshop on the study report June 26, 2012 14 Finalize the study report June 29, 2012 22 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE FACULTY
We plan to meet a few officials in each of the training institutions of the NSPP. To conduct focused discussion, we intent to use following questionnaire during interviews with the selected officials of the NSPP.
1. How do you ensure that the emerging requirements of government agencies at national and sub-national levels are properly factored in your training program?
2. What skills/competencies does your program target to improve?
3. Why do you focus on developing these skills/competencies?
4. Do you have any organizational unit dedicated to conducting needs assessment and informing training design accordingly?
5. How do you select visiting faculty?
6. Do you conduct your institutional assessment to determine the kind of resources (human, financial, and others) that you need to meet your training agenda?
7. How do you select officers for posting in your organization?
8. Is the permanent staff, especially the one involved in imparting training, is trained enough for this type of work?
9. Is the turn over of the permanent staff low/higher? Explain why?
10. Do you think the NSPP is on track to achieving its objectives? How?
23 ANNEXURE-2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARTICIPANTS
We plan course participants interviews to get first hand impressions on the design, delivery and effectiveness of the NSPPs training programs. we intent to use following questionnaire for these interviews.
1. Do you think the course you attended was responsive to your needs?
2. What skills/competencies did the course target for development?
3. What are key areas that you think need improving?
4. What are your impressions about course design, material used, training methodology, and evaluation?
5. How do you rank the quality of visiting faculty?
6. Do you think the Directing Staff (civil servants) posted in the NPSS are contributing effectively toward program design and delivery?
7. Are you satisfied with the quality of services provided to participants during training?
8. Do you think the NSPP is on track to achieving its objectives? How?
(Bible in History - La Bible Dans L'histoire 8) John T. Willis - Yahweh and Moses in Conflict - The Role of Exodus 4-24-26 in The Book of Exodus-Peter Lang International Academic Publishers (2010)