KATHMANDU, Dec 10: Service seekers at government offices are facing inconvenience as government employees are currently busy preparing for examinations for internal promotion.
Public services have been affected due to the employees not performing their duties on the pretext of their examination. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has been opening applications for internal promotions as well as open competitive exams since mid-October.
According to PSC Spokesperson Geeta Kumari Humagain, the PSC opens applications for various posts in the civil service from mid-October to mid-April. The law stipulates that applications should be opened for the post of under secretary and joint secretary (non-technical) on the last Wednesday of Ashoj (mid-September to mid-October); under secretary (technical) on the last Wednesday of Kartik (mid-October to mid-November); section officer (non-technical) on the last Wednesday of Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December) and non-gazetted first class government employees (nayab subba) on the last Wednesday of Poush (mid-December to mid-January). This sequence continues till the last Wednesday of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April).
The PSC is now preparing to open applications for the post of section officer this Wednesday, with approximately 300 to 400 vacancies. Kali Prasad Parajuli, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, said that the employees are currently busy with the internal examination of the PSC in the hope of securing promotions.
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“If a large number of employees take leave at once or are busy with the PSC’s exam, affecting their work in the office, the service may be disrupted,” Parajuli said, “Therefore, employees should be alternately given leave to avoid services in the offices providing public service or the head of the respective office and the secretaries must take the responsibility for making proper arranging in the absence of the staff.”
Parajuli said that it has become a trend for employees to take leave during the PSC examination.
Over one-third of the civil servants are occupied in PSC exams from mid-October to mid-April. Some employees are found studying the syllabus of the PSC instead of performing their duties during office hours. Some study using computers and laptops, while others study books.
According to a senior official from the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, some employees preparing for PSC examination have even arranged their transfers to departments such as the Postal Service, District Coordination Committees, various constitutional commissions, and offices like the Nepal Shipping Office, where there is little to do or no work at all. By transferring to these departments, they will have adequate time to prepare for the PSC exam throughout the day. According to the ministry, most employees also take leave during this period. When a large number of employees take leave simultaneously, it leads to disruption of services.
The National Vigilance Centre (NVC) occasionally inspects government offices. During the inspections, the NVC has reported cases in which employees sign in but are not in the office, those who are in the office engage in PSC exams, and also instances of civil servants being absent without official leave. These occurrences have become a usual phenomena.
Hiramani Subedi, information officer for the NVC, said that the employees should not be engaged in the PSC's examination in a way that affects their service to the general public.
“Employees can take leave to prepare for the PSC’s exam. Leave is a facility for employees. However, they cannot be engaged in the PSC’s exam by affecting government services,” Subedi said.
The NVC has received numerous complaints that public service gets affected when employees focus only on their professional development rather than on public service.
Such complaints tend to rise especially when the internal examinations of the PSC are announced. An employee of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration said, “The internal promotion system cannot be closed. It is an opportunity for career development for employees. However, it is true that employees, instead of focusing on their work, get busy preparing for the PSC exams through the internal promotion system.”
