Additional RM56 Mln To Be Channelled To 28 Ministries To Improve Civil Servant Competency Levels - KPPA

By Samantha Tan Chiew Tieng

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- An additional allocation of RM56 million for civil servant training to improve competency in seven new focus areas will be channelled to 28 ministries soon, said Public Service (JPA) director-general (KPPA) Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.

He said the seven focus areas - artificial intelligence, digital transformation, cybersecurity, energy transition, food security and technology, national boundary and disaster management - are priorities under the MADANI Government as emphasised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the 19th Civil Service Premier Message Gathering (MAPPA-19) last year.

bootstrap slideshow

He said the 28 ministries involved are given the flexibility to identify officers who need training relevant to the specialisation of their respective ministries, including areas that need to be developed within each ministry.

"JPA channels (the allocation) to the 28 ministries because they know better the areas required in their respective ministries based on the seven new focus areas. Proposals must be submitted to JPA for evaluation to ensure they align with the intended goals,” he said in an interview here today.

"For example, (JPA director-general Tan Sri) Wan Ahmad Dahlan (Abdul Aziz) said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) focuses on food technology; the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) focuses on disaster management; and the Digital Ministry focuses on digital transformation.

bootstrap slideshow

"It is the government's goal that civil servants’ skills and knowledge are on par with foreign consultants to reduce the government's dependency on external expertise, thus saving on national expenditure,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan said the JPA was confident that the public services team was heading in the right direction towards what the government desires through more intensive exposure for civil servants.

He said that since last year, the JPA, through the Accelerated Course for Competency Excellence (ACE) programme, currently known as the Government Expertise and Consultant Development Programme (PRESTIJ), had sent 88 officers to attend six-month training stints in the United Kingdom, Australia, India and China.

He said the officers who attended the training would then return home to teach other officers, causing a snowball effect in the civil service.

"The JPA plans for officers with project papers to receive recognition from the institutions where they studied to present and gather officers from every ministry to share ideas that can be applied to other ministries (for further improvement),” he said.

He said that, for this year, the JPA will continue with the programme by providing 140 slots, with several improvements, including holding hybrid training programmes for more officers to participate.

In addition, the JPA, through 15 other sponsorship programmes under In-Service Training (LDP), including the Federal Training Award Programme (HLP), Half Scholarship Federal Training Award (HLPSB) and other in-house programmes, will continue to focus on areas of study critical to the country.

Wan Ahmad said that the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), which is under JPA’s supervision, also offers training courses in the seven new focus areas for public servants.

“For the seven new focus areas, the implementing groups need to understand them to ensure continuity. I want a shared frame of reference between the implementing officers and top management,” he said.

For the record, a total of 41 courses related to the seven new focus areas were conducted in 2024, with 112,657 participants from various levels.

-- BERNAMA