Civil Service needs more personnel with PhD degree
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Civil Service desperately needs more civil servants with PhD degrees to make Indonesia more competitive in this era of globalization, says a minister.
State Minister for Administrative Reforms TB Silalahi told a seminar yesterday that only 250 of the 4.9 million civil servants throughout the country hold a PhD degree.
"With such a small number how can Indonesia compete in the era of globalization?" he asked.
The number is a far cry if compared with, for instance, the Daewoo conglomeration in South Korea which has around 1,000 PhDs.
"That is only for one factory," he told participants of the seminar on "Improvement of National Discipline" organized by the Association of Indonesia's Indigenous Entrepreneurs (HIPPI).
Silalahi said there was a need to improve the caliber of civil servants in terms of education by designating them to continue their studies or by encouraging them attend school on their own initiative.
He said that in addition to higher educational degrees, the government also saw a growing need for civil servants to specialize in particular areas.
"Vocational education becomes more imperative in the globalization era," he said as quoted by Antara.
Silalahi promised that civil servants who have the initiative to continue their studies and who finance the education by themselves would be given certain credit points.
New system
The minister's remarks were in line with his plan to launch a new system to improve the quality of the country's civil service in order to offer better services to the public.
He said the elements which determine the creation of professional civil servants are public education and vocational education in addition to career management and welfare.
Doctoral degrees and specializations are included in both public and vocational education, he added.
Silalahi said that people often believed that civil servants should, by nature, possess every tribute which supports their dedication. "But people should not forget that civil servants come from society, so that their characters are just like anybody else in society," he said.
The minister believes that discipline among civil servants would be nothing but a dream if there was a lack of attention on their career management and welfare.
The environment plays a role in establishing the discipline of civil servants, he said adding that some officials might simply be tempted to indulge in malpractice, including embezzlement, given the temptation.
Silalahi said the government guarantees the career improvement and welfare for civil servants through the 1994 Presidential decrees. (par)