Management assistants:

Govt to fill vacancies

Disna MUDALIGE

About 5,000 Management Assistant vacancies presently exist in the country and among them 3,389 vacancies would be filled by next February, said Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W D J Seneviratne.

Minister W D J Seneviratne

"These recruitments would be based on the results of the examination held in 2009. Even though this kind of appointments are not made during an election time, the Elections Commissioner has given permission for this process considering the urgent need to fill these vacancies. Accordingly interviews will be conducted at District level," he noted.

He also said a separate Administrative Service examination would be held for the North and East, and 57 Tamils and 13 Sinhalese would be recruited based on its results according to the population ratio.

"They must comply with two conditions. First is that the recruited Tamils should pass a Proficiency Examination in the Sinhala Language within three years and vice versa. The other is that they are bound to work in the North and East for at least 10 years," he explained.

He observed that there are 2,300 vacancies for Grama Niladhari Officers, and a program to fill these vacancies would be implemented within the first half of this year.

He also noted that the Ministry is engaged in a program to get the direct contribution of District Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries and Grama Niladhari Officers for public work of those communities.

This program has so far covered nine districts and has obtained successful results, he remarked.

The Minister mentioned that the Community Relief Mobile Service has now been recommenced and solutions are being provided to people's ordinary problems on the same day of the mobile service.

Responding to a question by a journalist, the Minister stressed that the concept that the public sector is lethargic is an age old concept.

"Backward tendency of public sector is no more. My personal opinion is that it is equally efficient as the private sector.

Systems and standards have evolved to evaluate the efficiency among the workers. Modernization process is continuing, and training and various programs to take them up to date have been implemented," he said.