attracting able professional
Ishrat’s presentation rejected by Cabinet
MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN
ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has reportedly rejected a presentation of Prime Minister’s Advisor on Institutional Reforms and Austerity, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, on factors impeding the process of attracting able professionals, saying that nothing is new in his proposals, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.
On June 9, 2020, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity informed the cabinet that in pursuance of the directions of the Prime Minister to indentify the factors impeding the process of attracting able professionals to public sector organisations and suggest amendments in relevant laws/rules/policy/instructions, he along with Minister for Law & Justice met with Establishment Division, Finance Division, and Chairman SECP. The committee reviewed the Estacode, Public Sector Companies (Corporate Governance) Rules and draft Public Sector Companies (appointment of Chief Executives) Rules.
The following amendments were proposed with respect to selection of CEOs of key public sector enterprises-;(i) the selection procedure approved by the Cabinet on March 19, 2019 and notified on March 19, 2019 regarding appointment of the Chief Executive of 65 PSEs in the first phase would remain in force; (ii) para 1 of the above referenced O.M may be expanded to read as follows “each requisitioning Ministry/Division shall furnish job description, eligibility criteria and skills required for the rule. The committee will decide the evaluation parameters for the job; (iv)” the concerned Division will place a public advertisement in the leading newspapers, nationally and selected professional newspapers and periodicals in advanced countries and through electronic and digital media.” (v) in addition to these advertisements, the concerned Division would also post the information on the websites of the government, Establishment Division, Ministries of Information, Foreign Affairs and Overseas Pakistanis concerned Ministry and organisation and Pakistani Embassies/High Commissions/Consulates abroad.” And (vi) “the Division will, in addition to advertisements and websites posting invite a pre-screened form for head-hunters from the approved panel to screen, indentify, persuade and recommend suitable candidates to apply.
Estacode 2015 entry no-161( page 179) will be modified accordingly to incorporate the O.M of March 28, 2020 and modifications proposed above. The entry has already replaced No-141 of Estacode 2007 referred in the Supreme Court judgment.
As a consequence of the proposed changes, para 3(VI) of draft Public Sector Companies (Appointment of Chief Executives), Regulations, 2019 need to be written as follows “the concerned Ministry/ Division will place a public advertisement, at least three months before expiry of the term of the existing Chief Executive, in the leading newspapers, nationally and selected professional newspapers and periodicals in advanced countries and through electronic and digital media. In addition to these advertisements, the concerned Division would also post the information on the websites of the government, Establishment Division, Ministries of Information, Foreign Affairs and Overseas Pakistani Embassies/High Commissions/Consulates abroad. The Division will in addition to advertisements and website posting invite a pre-screened form for head-hunters from the approved panel to screen, identify, persuade and recommend suitable candidates to apply.”
Selection under MP scales - This procedure may also be applied for selection process of candidates to be recruited under MP-1, MP-II and MP-III scale. Establishment Division’s O.M. No.1(72)/2002-E-6 of December 27, 2018 on composition of selection board for hiring of professional in management position scales may be revised as follows “subject: composition of selection board procedure for hiring of professional in management position scales”.
Selection procedure- (i) the requisitioning Ministry/Division shall furnish job description eligibility criteria and skills required for the job. The selection board will decide the evaluation parameters for the job; (ii) the concerned Division will place a public advertisement in the leading newspapers, nationally and selected professional newspapers and periodicals in advanced countries and through electronic and digital media.” (iii) “in addition to these advertisements, the concerned Division would also post the information on the websites of the Government, Establishment Division, Ministries of Information, Foreign Affairs and Overseas Pakistanis, concerned Ministry and organisation and Pakistani Embassies/High Commission/Consulates abroad; and (iv) “the Division will in addition to advertisements and website posting invited a pre-screened form of head- hunters from the approval panel to screen, identify, persuade and recommend suitable candidates to apply.”
It was also proposed that the selection board may be reconfigured and in place of Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary of the Division one to three experts from academia, private sector inside or outside Pakistan in the field of activity of the institution may be appointed as member of the selection board for hiring of professionals in Management Position Scales”.
Selection under SPSS scales - O.M 1/11/2-2018-E-6 of March 22, 2019 on the general criteria for need assessment, recruitment and performance evaluation for hiring contractual appointments in SPSS may be modified as follows- para 3(i) may be written as follows;(i) vacancies may widely be advertised in the national and international and newspapers or magazines, electronic, digital, print media, websites of Pakistan Embassies / High Commissions/ Consulates, and professional publications indicating the terms of reference, tenure of assessment, required job description and job specification for each indentified areas/ position to ensure transparency and merit; (ii) the concerned Division will in addition to advertisement and website invited posting pre-screened firm of head-hunters from the approval panel to screen, identify, persuade and recommend suitable, candidates to apply.
Law Division has clarified that the term remuneration in advice rendered vide F. No. 6(6(2) 2019-Secy of February 8. 2018 on the subject’ appointment of Directors does not include fees for attending the Board or Committee meetings or actual expenses incurred on travel and accommodation. In the light of this clarification, there is no need to advertise and invite applications for membership of the Boards of Directors or Governors in all such cases. However, each Division should design a transparent mechanism for nominating candidates who meet “ fit and proper” criteria prescribed by the SECP.
During discussion, it was claimed that most of the actions fell within the ambit of Establishment Division which could have taken action accordingly. It was pointed out that; (i) headhunting mode is already being employed by the Boards of different public sector companies for appointments therein;(ii) any amendment in the draft SECP regulations, presented before the Cabinet, fell within the domain of SECP;(iii) the proposal to include expert(s) from the relevant field has already been adopted in the revised MP policy approved by the Prime Minister recently; (iv) Law Division’s advice, referred to in the presentation of February 8, 2019 for nomination of Directors on Boards is already in field and multiple appointments on different Boards have been made by the federal cabinet without inviting applications and ;(vi) Cabinet, in its meeting held on May 12, 2020, had directed that the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms shall identify the factors impeding the process of attracting able professional in various sectors/organisations from private sector including amendments in the relevant laws/rules/regulations/policy instructions in each case. However, in the presentation the Advisor allegedly failed to identify the factors impeding the process of attracting professionals and proposed amendments which are already available in the rules/regulations/policies/instructions.
After a detailed discussion the Cabinet directed the Prime Minister Advisor on Institutional Reforms and Austerity to submit a summary to the Cabinet including identification of the sector and category of organisation, post, rule/law/policy/instruction impeding the process of attracting quality human resource along with reasons and proposed amendments with intended benefits.
