By Mohamed John Conteh (MJ)
Dear Editor,
Please permit me space to dilate on the blatant injustice in the Civil Service and the need for reform. Revamping Sierra Leone public service architecture is one President Julius Maada Bio’s big five changer, and in my opinion, if this injustice is not addressed it will pose a serious threat in achieving the revamp. There is potential for improving Sierra Leone’s public service architecture if this problem is addressed right away by developing a policy that would address the severe injustice that our parents, brothers, and sisters are going through in the civil service.
The civil service continues to be a worrying abnormality in a time when educational credentials are becoming more and more recognized as crucial factors in determining promotions and professional advancement. For many civil servants who have dedicated years of their careers to serving the public interest while also attempting to advance their academic career, to the extent of bagging diploma, higher diploma and degree, the prospect of acquiring a promotion that corresponds with their educational background often becomes an unfair and unchangeable reality. There are concerns about justice, loyalty, and meritocracy of the civil service itself when one compares it to how they hired graduates in the public service.
Consider the difficulty that public servants who were once employed in the service at a lower grade like, grade 3 or 4 are in. These people have dedicated their lives to helping their communities, and in the process, they have acquired invaluable skills and knowledge. Despite holding degrees from reputable universities, they ultimately remain in the same grade and if lucky they will be promoted to the next level of grade 4 or 5 as if they are climbing a leader. This is a sign of a profound distaste for the labor and commitment of those who have chosen public service as their career, and it goes far beyond a disagreement over compensation and benefits.
On the other hand, the civil service often employed graduates with comparable degrees to significantly higher grades, usually starting at Grade 7 or above. This unexpected advancement demoralizes and undervalues long-term employees. Why should years of experience and dedication be superseded by the act of entering the workforce later on? In a system intended to serve the interests of everybody, this disparity not only lowers employee morale but also fosters a culture of discontent.
This disparity has consequences that extend beyond one’s career path. When devoted employees feel unappreciated and ignored, it affects their performance. A sharp drop in motivation leads to decreased output and job satisfaction. This institutional inequity widens the divide between inexperienced and seasoned staff and makes the public service less reliable. As a result, this setting might make it harder to carry out the revamping in the public service architecture, which might result in a decline in the quality of public services.
Comprehensive reform is necessary to address this egregious injustice. It is necessary to review civil service laws to make sure meritocracy takes precedence over merely tenure. It is imperative to have a pay grade and career development structure that is both fair and open. When establishing recruitment and promotion rules, consideration should be given to appreciating the value of experience and the contribution of current employees.
To solve this terrible injustice, comprehensive reform is required. Civil service legislation or a policy must be put in place to ensure that people are promoted by merit, all those in the service with degree must be first upgraded to grade 7 before recruiting those new graduates for fair and transparent career progression system and pay grade. Recognizing the importance of experience and current employees’ contributions should be taken into account while creating recruitment and promotion policies.
In conclusion, fairness, equality, and respect for individuals who have committed their lives to public service should be the cornerstones upon which the civil service is based. It is critical that ministries, departments and agencies in the public service emphasize experience in addition to education. They can only guarantee that people who have devoted years to serving their communities receive the recognition and opportunities they so richly deserve by enacting policy. If this problem is not resolved, an unfair culture will continue, further eroding the justice and efficiency of the public service as a whole. Now is the moment to take action.
