An update on the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA)

1
An update on the Public Administration Leadership
and Management Academy (PALAMA)
Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and
Traditional Affairs NATIONAL COUNCIL OF
PROVINCES 8 March 2011
Presented By Prof. S Mollo Director General
PALAMA Date 8 March 2011
2
Contents

1. Introduction
2. Problem Statement
3. Pronouncements by the Executive on PALAMA
4. Towards a strategic framework for repositioning
   PALAMA
5. Key elements of the strategic framework to
   reposition PALAMA
6. Process map towards Cabinet approval
7. Concluding Remarks

3
Introduction

• The South African State is developmental.
• Being developmental requires of the State to be
  able to lead in the strategic orientation of the
  country.
• For the State to lead, technical and
  organizational capability key.
• Such capability must allow the State to translate
  broad objectives into programmes and projects for
  implementation, which requires
• Proper training at all levels,
• Leadership development both at executive and
  civil service levels,
• Re-orientation, engendering new doctrines,
  culture and practices at all levels, and
• Acquiring and retaining skilled personnel.

4
Problem Statement

• PALAMA mandate is to improve the capacity for
  service delivery and implementation of government
  initiatives through training however,
• Training remains uncoordinated, incoherent, and
  largely outsourced -
• Private and public providers, training academies,
  independent individual contractors etc.
• Public service training coverage remains
  inadequate
• About 38 000 of the 1.5 million public servants
  covered
• Impact of training on service delivery not
  assessed.
• Training narrowly focused on junior, middle, and
  senior managers
• Administration, support, and frontline staff not
  covered more than 70
• The Executive largely not covered.
• Local government training neglected.
• Relevance and responsiveness of programme
  provision insufficient.
• Cost recovery model too expensive

5
Pronouncements by the Executive on PALAMA

• Hon State President JG Zuma underlined the
  importance of an effective Public Service in his
  2009 State of the Nation Address
• working with the people and supported by our
  public servants, we will build a developmental
  state, improve public services
• ensure courteous and efficient service from
  front-counter staff
• our commitment to fight corruption in the
  public service.
• Hon Minister for the Public Service, MR Baloyi
  further elaborated in his 2010 budget vote
  speech
• We are placing PALAMA at the level where the
  agency ought to be a preparatory school for entry
  into public service, incubate them through
  in-service development intervention. Of course,
  for PALAMA to do what we call for, the agency
  itself has to be transformed.

6
Pronouncements by the Executive on PALAMA cont

• PALAMAs key challenges raised by the MPSA
• What defines and distinguishes the Academy from
  just being a broker of training services?
• What defines the state of a government training
  academy?
• What is the most appropriate institutional form
  for PALAMA?
• How can existing public service capacity be used
  to strengthen PALAMA capacity?
• What is PALAMAs strategic thrust and what is
  PALAMAs niche area?
• What is the preferred and most feasible financial
  model?
• If key programmes are made compulsory would
  PALAMA cope with the demand?
• Should PALAMA remain focused on leadership and
  management?
• What is PALAMAs role vis-a-vis other state
  funded training units, e.g. provincial academies,
  etc.?

7
Towards a strategic framework for repositioning
PALAMA

• Misty Hills
• Proposed Strategic Thrusts
• Train and develop public servants across the
  three spheres of government and related organs of
  state in administrative, management and
  leadership competencies.
• Professionalise the public service through
  values, ethos and service culture that supports
  the implementation of governments developmental
  agenda.
• Lead the provision of high quality training and
  development programmes through on-board capacity
  and strategic partnerships.
• Proposed Strategic Goals
• Curricula informed by the developmental needs of
  the state and related government strategic
  frameworks.
• Relevant and high quality public sector training
  and development.
• A high-performance organisation.

8
Towards a strategic framework for repositioning
PALAMA

• Lesedi
• Vision and mission - Fully funded and resourced
  Public service training provider of choice
  Residential institutional base Operating
  nationally with provincial satellites Provides
  high quality, relevant training Leads training
  policy development and coordination Moulds the
  South African public service mode of thinking and
  doing.
• Objectives - Develop officials across the public
  sector who are passionate, trained to perform,
  and committed to improving service delivery and
  development. PALAMA graduates exhibit the values,
  ethos and culture of public service, as
  governments corporate identity. In-service,
  professional skills development supported by
  research intelligence and advice for individuals
  and organisations

9
Key elements of the strategic framework to
reposition PALAMA

• Inculcating attributes of a developmental public
  servant
• Break new ground being innovative and not shying
  away from coming up with new ideas for the public
  good.
• Inspire success is self motivated and ready to
  motivate others to service the public.
• Innovation course has been developed and piloted
  in collaboration with the Center for Public
  Service Innovation
• 198 officials trained in Introduction to
  MonitoringEvaluation (ME)
• Collaborative work is being undertaken with the
  Department of Performance Monitoring and
  Evaluation to align ME courses to the outcomes
  based approach of government
• Virtual network for Regional Capacity Building
  Project developed and implemented for improved
  sharing of information.

10
Key elements of the strategic framework to
reposition PALAMA

• Inculcating attributes of a developmental public
  servant
• Raise the standard is capable of giving her/his
  best regardless of whether she/he is in the front
  office or at management level.
• Believe that nothing is impossible comes up with
  turn-around strategies to salvage a failing
  situation.
• The compulsory induction programmes (Wamkelekile
  and Public Service Induction) for public servants
  have been aligned to the Public Sector Charter
  through inclusion of the attributes of a good
  public servant and outlining ethical principles
  of a public servant

11
Key elements of the strategic framework to
reposition PALAMA

• Inculcating attributes of a developmental public
  servant
• Take collective responsibility and teamwork must
  believe in partnership and be practically seen to
  work with other people.
• Be on-board and owning service delivery
  processes owns the processes of service
  delivery.
• 725 unemployed graduates trained in the Breaking
  Barriers to Entry programme
• 671 officials have been trained in
  Anti-corruption
• A web-based Anti-corruption discussion forum has
  been established and handed over for management
  and implementation by the DPSA.

12
Key elements of the strategic framework to
reposition PALAMA

• Inculcating attributes of a developmental public
  servant
• Make a difference to the people understands that
  the public service has to serve a larger
  population, and this population has expectations
  that should always be considered when doing work.
• 2 963 participants trained in all leadership
  programmes, including
• 1 400 officials have been trained through the
  Executive Development Programme
• 578 officials trained in the Khaedu Programme
  (Khaedu is a Venda word for challenge, and
  relates to the challenge posed to senior managers
  to be deployed to service delivery sites annually
  in order to make a direct contribution to the
  removal of blockages and improvement of the
  quality of services delivered).
• 275 Legislature Capacity Building Programme
• 138 Protocol and Diplomacy
• 573 Other Programmes

13
Key elements of the strategic framework to
reposition PALAMA

• Inculcating attributes of a developmental public
  servant
• Be an international activist is an active agent
  in implementing the public service agenda on the
  continent and in the world
• Four international capacity building programmes
  implemented with 3 Management Development
  Institutes
• Hosted a study tour programme in November 2010
  for 9 senior officials of the Socialist Republic
  of the Government of Vietnam
• India Brasil South Africa (IBSA) Capacity
  building seminar hosted
• Executive programmes are undertaken to be
  implemented collaboratively with country partner
  (Namibia)
• Championing the capacity building of Conference
  of African Ministers of Public/Civil Service
  (CAMPS)

14
Process map towards Cabinet approval
Outcome Performance Indicator Target Date Key Stakeholders
Repositioning of PALAMA 1. Consultations on draft framework. 2. Reviewed institutional , funding, and governance model approved. 3. Ministerial approval on compulsory and targeted programmes. 4. Revised PALAMA funding model. July 2010 to May 2011 31 July 2011 31 March 2012 31 March 2012 MPSA, Parliament, Executive, Departments Cabinet MPSA National Treasury
15
In Conclusion

• By 2014, all public servants should be
• Trained under an integrated public service
  framework
• Receiving targeted mandatory training in
  specified fields
• Receiving minimum five days training per annum
  and
• Serving for minimum five days at service delivery
  points of government per annum.
• Implementing revolving door policy
  partnership/experience sharing with
  academia/private sector and second officials to
  academia and vice versa.