The envisaged right-sizing of the Public Service to impact the education sector badly

Correspondent | Wednesday February 17, 2021 11:37

 

The envisaged right-sizing of the Public Service to impact the education sector badly

In their budget review session, BOSETU President Winstan Radikolo said it  had been proposed that in order to deal with the high wage bill:

Government needs to right-size the public service. Meanwhile, as an effort to reduce the wage bill, Government will abolish 50 percent of vacant positions, in value, as of 1st April, 2021. In this regard, the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) will be expected to review the size of the public service and, during the 2020/21 Financial Year, recommend measures to right size it as part of over-arching public sector reforms. (Paragraph 126)

“This proposal on the right sizing of the public in our service in our view, does not augur well for the education sector. It is amazing that  Government is seeking to abolish some of the vacant positions whilst there are still acute shortages in the education sector”, Radikolo said.

“ It will not be proper to abolish some positions and still continue to engage people on temporary basis. A deliberate effort should be made to address the human resource needs of the sector especially in schools and vocational institutions (brigades) as a matter of urgency”.

Radikolo further added that as things stand at the moment,  at least 2000  full time teachers are needed in schools, while in the health sector the ratio of nurses to patients and doctors to patients in this country had been one of the poorest for many years.

Rasdikolo also said it was offensive to BOSETU and the trade union movement to learn about right sizing of the public service for the first time hrough a minister of finance’s budget presentation, adding that they expect to have heard  it from the Directorate of Public Service Management, who is the employer, after prior consultation with trade unions as stakeholders.