A University is required just to teach the public sector how to do their jobs properly, as their attitude and behavior has much to be desired.

Let’s face facts of effective employment.

We who work in the private sector – “are at the mercy of our employers” unless of course we own the company. We have NO illusions of that fact. If we don’t perform – we are out of a job. Sometimes we are even fired for doing the job correctly, due to internal politics, where bosses who are incompetent are blind to merit and wallow in gossip, which inevitably lead to the demise of those institutions in the long term. Only the healthy survive.

Entrepreneurial companies can only achieve the next stage of development for survival in the longer term, when they embrace professional standards of operations and good governance, to motivate and build a business with a vions and mission. History is replete with these companies. Bonuses and perks are dependent on profitability, and the whims of the owners or management. THEY ARE NOT A RIGHT!

As for the Public Sector

Frankly in Sri Lanka, none of the above rules apply. No wonder then that they draw the lazy, unambitious, leeches into their ranks, as “servants of the people who they have taken an oath to serve”. Whenever there is a public sector vacancy for a permanent position, no matter what it is, there are thousands of applicants, as it is considered a free lunch if they are hired. Why?

Firing is almost impossible and pension rights are automatic, and pay increments are expected as a matter of right, if the cost of living goes up, NO MATTER the state of the economy. Collective bargaining is the norm.

WORSE, during the administration of former President Mahinda Rajapakse, (2005-2014 a period of 10 years) 600,000 were added to this already overweight carder. Teachers were recruited with no qualification, so it is hardly surprising that most people were recruited as political appointments and not for ability, competence, qualification or aptitude.

APTITUDE in my opinion should be the KEY today for any job, and the private sector have their own means of recruiting by looking at this as a must requirement, if they are to contribute to the success of their organization.

My essay today is to concentrate on aptitude and training, both of which are vital for an efficient public sector, however you look at other factors.

In an earlier blog entry I recommended the conversion of a large Army Camp, within a National Park, of which there are many at present, as a University/Diploma awarding institution to train our Environment Protectors, namely employees of the Wildlife Department, Forest Department, Civil Security Department and others engaged in protecting our Biodiversity, and Archeological Heritage. Special skills are required before we can let them loose in the field of work. Few currently operates this way, or have such skills, with incompetent buffoons engaged in most of these positions.

So in this essay, the rest need training too. Let me exclude the Teaching Profession out of this University, as they have Teacher Training Colleges, Colleges of Education and Universities where they must be trained adequately before being let loose on Students, be they, pre-school, primary and secondary and tertiary sector, that includes Universities and Vocational Training Institutes.

I wish to point out that fewer than 25% of the teachers even have this modicum of training, so our kids are being taught by people who don’t have any interest in teaching. They take it, so they can leave at 1.30pm, have three months holiday and draw a pension.. My opinion is students should not be taught by those without ability or aptitude, as our kids go in with brains into grade one and leave school, as durr brians in grade 11 or thirteen!! Again that discussion is covered in earlier blog entries, namely on the urgency of training the teachers in the latest learning techniques, to better motivate our youth in getting the best out of them as an essential Human Resource for our Labor Market, now crying out for skills and personnel.

So what about the remainder? Well if statistics are to go by, this Mahinda Rajapakse recruitment frenzy gave jobs mainly to people who don’t even have A levels. It is this political gift of a job, that pays people who are basically non-performing, a monthly salary from the sweat and toil of the citizens taxes, that we must address. This political base believe, no matter how treasonous the leadership were, form a core of the Pohottuwa Constituency!!!

Given that we have this workforce, whether we like it or not, we will have a revolution if they are disbanded and sent home. The next best alternative is to train them in skills, so they are better able to perform on the job. Currently performance is not one that seems to be a basic requirement for the job.

If there is an institution of re-training, where each group of people are gradually taken into another surplus Army Camp that can say house 3,000 people at a time, they should get the basic training needed in discipline, and self-motivation, and aptitude. Then ability and desire can re-direct this carder into fields they are better able to perform in and perhaps prefer. The nation benefits.

To recap, I have excluded, Tri Forces, Environment, Education and Health Professionals and Highly Skilled Professionals, from this Training Program as they must have their own institutions to do the same, and have the skills necessary to perform their public sector jobs efficiently.