PSRS up in arms over employees’ performances

PUBLIC Service Recruitment Secretariat (PSRS) has impounded 677 forged certificates believed to have been issued by institutions under VETA, NECTA and RITA in the country, a spokesperson and the head of communication department from PSRS has said. Riziki Abraham told a press conference yesterday in Dar es Salaam that, the certificates were presented by workers in government and their institutions for employment one year ago and that, the PSRS is currently doing investigation and once is proved the owners will be arraigned before the court of law to answer the charges of unlawful possession of such illegal documents. She elaborated that, PSRS has embarked on the reform programs to ascertain employees’ professional skills and credibility in a move to ensure that the government through public service management gets skilled workers with good reputations and not otherwise. She said under the program, already the government has scrutinized about 4,891 among the recently employed public servants who already have been deployed in their working stations and added that, the exercise will be continuing throughout once the employment opportunities are made available to the general public. She said the aim of the PSRS is to develop the appropriate public service competences which will transform the service into effective and efficient machinery in order to meet the citizens’ needs in terms of quality services. “As the PSRS continues to ensure an effective implementation of the program, the issue work efficiency in this respect will be given priority it deserves” she said adding that, when they talk of efficiency the department concerned will be verifying reports of employees including the legality of their presented certificates  to ascertain their performances in general. Meanwhile, the PSRS has advised students in various colleges and higher learning institutions accredited in the country to study subjects or courses related in the field of health, education, Livestock and agriculture as these are the only sectors which have plenty of employment opportunities currently offered by the  government. Elaborating more in this, she said that, students who successfully completes their training course in these areas have nothing to worry about their employment as the government is intending to fill the gap of being having less professionals and that priority is given directly to such candidates who are still needed by the government in these areas local employment market. She further noted that, in order to cope with the technological convergence and the use of Information and Communication Technologies, PSRS has established its website which will be used to disseminate information such as the announcements of the employment opportunities in government sectors. She named the website www.ajira.go.tz which she said was inaugurated since April this year and has currently been visited with more than 2.9 million people. However, she noted that, the website has helped the secretariat to spend money for advertisements in other media sources. Apart from the establishment of the website, the PSRS has also established three databases each one with different information associated with the PSRS matters.  She said these are the database which contains the names of the college alumni, a database of the successful applicants for various employment opportunities advertised, and a database which contains the names of successful applicants and their respective working position applied and where they have been posted.  In view of this development concept, she noted that, the PSRS is in the preliminary stage to enable its applicants to forward their applications for employment electronically (e-application) for any advertised vacant position. The move according to Riziki is aimed at reducing the long process of employment as it is currently being done.  PSRS was established in accordance with section No. 29 (1) of the Public Service (Amendment) Act No. 18 of 2007. One of the main functions of the organ is to advertise vacant posts occurring in the public service and conduct recruitment process on behalf of the government’s ministries, institutions and agencies