PCS disgruntlement
30 May 2008
The Position Classification System (PCS) has since inception come under much flak with civil servants disgruntled about how the system is not being followed.
Not only is the implementation of the open competitive exams in question but also the classification system.
Some civil servants complain that the system is not fair due to the principle of vested rights that it is based on and that some civil servants hold certain positions even without the required qualification.
Bachu Phub Dorji, the chiefplanning officer of the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC),explained that the principle of
vested rights had to be adapted as,out of a total of 5,000 civil servants in the P-category, 50 percent of them had no Bachelors degree.
“If we had not considered this,more than 50 percent of the civil servants would have to either lose their jobs or compromise with their earnings,” he said.
Bachu Phub Dorji said that there was a lack of understanding on the part of the civil servants and that the salaries were reviewed purely on performance basis. He said that there were some cases where a qualified person performed below average and a person with experience but without the required qualification performed better.
Nonetheless, just as evolution is a gradual process and there are drawbacks to anything that is newly adapted, so is PCS. “It will take time for us to fine-tune the system over the years,” said Bachu Phub Dorji. He said that the issues such as this would have to be addressed. He also stressed that the officials at the senior management levels needed to ensure that performance management is done up to the optimum level.
He agreed that there were genuine complaints with regard to stagnation caused by PCS when it came to placing the civil servants in broad bands. “There are accountants who are in S2 and are promoted to S1. But to get to the Professional (P)-level, they will have to wait for the competitive exams,” he explained.
Giving his opinion on the PCS, a doctor said, “Nurses are given better salaries than the doctors and both are categorized
under P4”, pointing out that doctors had to undergo a training period of six years and the nurses, for four years.
The doctor said that with the establishment of the pay commission, the doctors deserved an increment of not less than 50
percent bearing in mind the shortage of doctors and the field work that is involved in job.
A retired teacher said, “The PCS was a well thought and highly appreciable system that brought false hope due to it’s bad
implementation. The problem with PCS was that they took into consideration the current grade of the employees and not the experience.”
According to the RCSC, since its conceptualization, the government has spent approximately Nu 8,48,000 for PCS policy documents and the PCS infor mation kit. “Apart from these expenses, the government had to invest in updating the Bhutan Civil Service Rules (BSCR), PCS manual and also organized several performance trainings,” said Bachu Phub
Dorji.
Some nine committees were appointed from among the civil servants for fine-tuning the PCS, each headed by a commissioner from the RCSC. The committees appointed were for Job Mapping and Evaluation, Recruitment
and Selection, Performance Management, Human Resource Development, Pay Review, Rules Revision, Media and Information along with two Dzongkha committees.
Bachu Phub Dorji said that there are some positive changes brought about by the PCS that the civil servants forget to notice. “With the PCS coming into being, majority of the civil servants started applying for qualification upgradation which in turn has helped bring about professionalism in the civil service,” he said.
By Pushkar Chhetri
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The complete overhaul of the civil service system with the introduction of foreign copied system the PCS was a disaster. Few people concieved that idea mainly to benefit themselves for creating foreign trips and to show they have the best idea when in reality it has made the life of more than 80 percent of the civil servant very difficult.
The best way could have been to work on the earlier system which no body has complained. Earlier system could have been reviewed and improved which can be implemented effectively and also will be cost effective.
I am not at all happy with the PCS, but I am helpless as there is no one to listen to us. I am not happy because my junior who is a teacher PTC qualification has now earned P3 level.The authority in the RCSC says that it is based on the experienced capability and ability of the individual. RCSC mean to say that I am not capable. I think if you look at my physical progress of the works, you may need to travel not less than year around the country. But me poor fellow has to landup in P4 with 10+3 year diploma in engineering and 10+ 2 is now placed in p3. Thank god you people are not corrupted and capable to convience others with false proof.
best of luck.
PCS is an untested system initiated without having done any deep research about it. It has no strong and sensible rationale. The saddest thing about it is it failed to bring any noticeable improvement in the performance of the civil servants despite it being touted by the arrogant officers of RCSC and the corrupt Secretary.
It has incurred immense cost to the Government. The are a lot of people who went for PCS training to the US and many other European countries. Did they make any valuable contribution in improving the system?
PCS currently has caused a lots of chaos and dissent in the minds of the civil servant especially the ones who have no choice but to abide by it. In a nutshell PCS is like a cobweb entangling the poor and reticent civil servants who do not have any influential background, but being broken by the ones who can and who have the support to do so.
A frustrated civil servant!!!
The bottom line is that the old cadre system kept everyone satisfied inspite of all its drawbacks while the PCS messed up the entire civil service system creating much frustration among civil servants. PCS is a big joke – better stow it before the silly brains behind it get the boot.
RCSC please don’t give in to pressure of these personally disgruntled civil servants. The system must benefit the country not the individuals. golopa, you should be careful in maligning the personal image of our senior officials. We have great respect for such distinguished officer building the institutions for the country. With attitude like yours, no matter where you are, you will always be doomed with sorrow and compliants. BO had made an effort to clarify issues on the PCS but guys like you appeared total ignorant of the article and instead again harping on the same issue. Which means only two things, either you are totally foolish or just want to get personal benefit.
One thing we will have to get straight. I am just wondering why some people are just saying PCS is a foreign concept etc. Tell us which one is not?
If I just come in to the comments made above both by the Mr. Bachu, and other friends pertaining to the pcs, the following may be noted.
Any changes must take place when things are going right as per the modern management norms. Such changes must be welcome.
Never to expect 100 percent perfect when new system comes in. The pcs system by itself is very good and I do join Mr.retired teacher’s comments- uniform the implementation has been always a loopholes. A case like vested right is not equally given to all people.The base line managers did not get that. they are being replaced.
The dzongdas, in grade 5 are still a dzongdag, secretaries in grade 3 are still there.These executive posts as per pcs should be in grade 3 and 1.
Qualification is one of the criteria only as per pcs but it became too much bureaucracy. Performance is forgotten.
PCS is new and its objectives will be realized as we go on following and implementing it. PCS has lot of room for self development, fully motivated and geared towards building professionalism for developing Bhutan. PCS is a perfect system, no suppression, and geared toward building efficiency, competency and highly qualified employees by allowing deprived employees in search of sufficient education for competencies. In short & in my view, I would like to put my appreciation for PCS for the following reasons.
1. I would not have been promoted after 4 years no matter how much I work hard in the old system. The Cadre system had no room for development, demoralized and no room for qualification up gradation
2. At the outset of PCS I was given the opportunity to avail postgraduate
3. This would be end of my qualification but again PCS allowed me to go for further studies since I am under 45 years
4. Today I am doing master degree in engineering
5. For 18 month I will get my full pay and considered as active service for my promotion. Wow! What else do I need…. there are lots of benefits wow….wow…
6. PCS is geared towards uplifting lower and mid level employees who could not avail further studies due to various reasons.
7. PCS provides opportunities for all times to come. Not at one stop or only one chance in a life time. It allows you to grow if you wish and if you analyze there are lot of rooms for your development
8. PCS allows you to enhance your life at the cost of the government, I guess that’s what we all seek
9. PCS is a perfect system, keep going and no looking back
Tashi Delek to PCS
PCS is a good initiatives made by RCSC,including all the stakeholders.Indeed,some are not satisfied,but it does not mean PCS is not effective.In the developed country,PCS is doing well.therefore,the implementer must work in hand with the rules and regulation only and not by listening to voice of human beings,since human wants are unlimitted.
thanks,
dorji dukpa,
M.sc students
University of Reading,uk.