|
Open Page
Restructuring the selection machinery
THE CURRENT debate on the proposed ban on entry of technocrats into the all-India and Central civil services has brought into focus the need of taking a fresh look at our national personnel policy.
The Macaulay-Trevelyan concept of recruitment was: "(a) Pick up the best of the university men at the age around 23 (man is supposed to have reached the maximum development of his potential by that age) by a competitive test; (b) such a man is fit for any job anywhere; and (c) an intelligent man is also a man of character, honesty and integrity."
The three criteria listed above which, by and large, we still continue to follow, are no longer valid in modern India. In any field of public service, the question really is of attracting the right man for the service, not just choosing the best among the applicants, as we do now. It is also not right to assume that intelligence and integrity, brilliance and character always go together. The qualities needed in a successful administrator in a democratic society are fundamentally different. While the net should be spread as far and wide as possible and the door flung open to all graduates, professional as well as non-professional, the dire need is to scan the individual aspirants with utmost care to detect certain special traits. These include a genuine desire to serve, an equally genuine liking for people, common sense, compassion, a sense of humour and certain leadership qualities such as initiative, courage, intelligence and, of course, the ability to make quick decisions. As many of these qualities are emotional and are the product of birth, upbringing and environment, there is need to introduce some kind of aptitude and psychological tests in the selection process.
The basic idea is to match the person chosen with the nature of work in the service so as to ensure that there is no square peg in a round hole. It is doubtful if the Personality Tests, as conducted by the UPSC at present (and I say this from personal experience), fulfil this essential requirement.
Reduction in the age of recruitment ("catch'em young") and allocation of candidates to the various civil services on the basis of aptitude and suitability to be assessed at the end of the foundational course/pre-induction training can also be useful in spotting the right person for the right job.
Startling facts
In this context, one is reminded of some startling facts revealed during the visit of an eminent columnist Praful Bidwai sometime ago to the L.B. Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. He says: "On the night of December 6, 1992, the probationers of the 58th batch held a party to celebrate the demolition of the Babri Mosque. The revelries were attended by a majority of probationers. Among those who took the lead were some of the top scorers of the all-India competitive examination. When asked about this, the Director admitted that `there is a significant amount of communal opinion among the IAS probationers ... It is a worrisome phenomenon. We have not been able to tackle this yet, although we are trying.' But a former Director B.R. Yugandhar hit the nail on the head: "We test people for the wrong things and then are unable to get rid of the chaff." (The Times of India, July 28, 1994). History was repeated in Gujarat.
Instead of racking our brains on the pros and cons of allowing or not allowing IIT graduates, engineers, doctors and other professionals to take the civil services examination, we ought to be much more concerned about the basic issue of restructuring the existing selection machinery, as also the terms and conditions of the services, in such a way that we are able to attract not only the best (cream of the cream) but the right type of candidates, representing all sections of society and all disciplines. The broadening of the recruitment base by including professionals also provides a wider scope for spotting real talent in the candidates.
Basic ingredients
Excellence in administration is a sine qua non for national excellence in almost every walk of life. Promptness, punctuality, timeliness, sensitivity, concern for the citizens, courtesy, impartiality, fairness and objectivity and a high degree of competence, knowledge and skills and, above all, a genuine and unadulterated secular outlook are some of the basic ingredients needed to turn out a good administrator in modern India. A good administrator in a democratic society carries the people with him and at the same time, is prepared to obstruct the people when passion robs them of their innate good sense and judgment. Ordinarily, he swims with the current but, in matters of principle, he stands like a rock. He avoids confrontation and has no axe to grind. He also has the ability to reconcile conflicting interests.
In the developing political context, the civil service training institutions in India face an uphill task. The expectations are very high. They are expected to produce giants, not pygmies. The job of a trainer, however, is a limited one. It is simply to awaken the giant, if any, asleep is us, not to create one. Training can only groom and polish but it cannot rectify the "original error." A school in England has the motto: "What Nature has denied, this school does not provide." And, on the same principle, in the civil service, the ailments of recruitment should not be mistaken for ailments of training.
MAHMOOD BIN MUHAMMAD
Former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Open Page
|
