More public servants trained

 By HENRY PAMBUAI

MORE than 760 public servants have been trained this year as part of Government’s effort to revive public training institutions around the country, a senior public servant says.

Department of Personnel Management secretary John Kali told The National that it was a boost for capacity-building in the public service as development and training for public servants had been dormant in the last two years.

A group of 44 public servants attended the Islands Regional Training Centre in Kokopo, while 28 received training at the Northern Regional Training Institute in Madang.

“These training centres cater for Government departments and public authorities,” Kali said.

“But more importantly, they are catering for the skills development and capability development of public servants in New Ireland, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, East New Britain and West New Britain.

“On Friday, 259 graduated from the PNG Institute of Public Administration. For this year alone we have developed or trained more than 760 public servants in the country. That’s compared to nothing in 2013 and 2014,” Kali said.

He said one of the priorities when Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Public Service Minister Sir Puka Temu took office was to revitalise PNGIPA.

“It’s all very well to talk about service delivery, but who’s going to deliver the service? We need competent, skilled and qualified people at the frontline to deliver,” Kali said.