Good public servants ‘need more than just perfect grades’
Reuters file photo
SINGAPORE — The Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarships are awarded based on merit, and merit is more than just academic qualifications, said PSC chairman Eddie Teo.
Speaking at the PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony yesterday, Mr Teo said candidates aspiring to be public service officers have to show key qualities such as character, aptitude and the ability to perform the job.
The qualities deemed essential for good public servants have changed over the years, he noted. “Today’s civil servants are expected not just to draft clear and sensible policies for the common good, but also to forge partnerships with citizens in co-creating these policies, and to communicate the policies with clarity and empathy,” said Mr Teo, who was addressing an audience of about 320 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.
Candidates with “perfect grades”, he added, may not make good public service officers. To tackle the wide-ranging needs of Singaporeans, generalist leaders, as well as engineers, data analysts and other technical leaders, are crucial in devising “technically sound and integrated solutions for our nation”, he said.
This year saw over 2,700 applications received for the PSC and Ministry Scholarships, a 13 per cent increase from last year, and the highest in five years. Seventy-three applicants were selected, and Mr Teo noted there was significant interest among candidates to study locally.
While an overseas education has its rewards of broadening perspectives and offering a cosmopolitan experience, local universities provide “close proximity to the community and ground sentiments”, he said. He urged the 13 scholarship holders studying here to cultivate the habit of listening to people and issues that concern them, as these are “critical” to a public officer’s work.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was at the ceremony, said in his keynote address that public officers need specialised knowledge and hard skills, a heart for the people and a willingness to “roll up (one’s) sleeves, get into the details and do the implementation work”.
He added: “Civil service must not be an organisation unto itself, it must be out there, with Singaporeans, working together with Singaporeans to make Singapore better.” TOH EE MING
