Civil Service needs more personnel with PhD degree

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)