Mohammad Mohabbat Khan

Public Administration Training in Bangladesh: an Overview

Public administration is genuinely regarded by experts as one of the crucial variables in bringing about rapid progress in social and economic spheres in a developing country. An effective administration is not only a necessity for the formulation of development policies and programs for the country but also for their actual implementation. A development-oriented system of administration presupposes the continuing flow and maintenance of a competent work force capable of achieving specified . national goals directed towards the fulfilment of popular expectations. Thus, in a modernizing society, public administration training &dquo; is a necessary concomitant of administrative action &dquo; and &dquo; a key to national development &dquo; (1).

Myth of Administrative Decentralisation in Bangladesh

Deliberation in the paper centres around deconcentration and delegation of administrative powers in Bangladesh. The focus is on the relationship between ministries and departments as well as between ministries and corporations. Though functions of ministries/divisions have been clearly spelled out essentially as policy formulation, planning, and evaluation of executed plans, these entities get involved in the designated responsibilities of departments/directorates and autonomous bodies/corporations. Bangladeshs experience with deconcentration and delegation is unsatisfactory. But this situation can be changed if political commitment is there in favour of transfer of power between and among public organisations. Also decentralisation policies of the government need to be supported by broader segments of the population. Attitudinal changes must take place among civil servants in terms of sharing power with each other.

Civil service reforms in British India and united Pakistan

Nearly 200 years of British rule of the Indian sub-continent clearly and significantly affected the society and people in the region. One of the continuing legacies of the British rule has been in the area of civil administration. The Indian Civil Service (ICS) characterized by centralization of authority and elite nature symbolized the British domination of the Indian people. From time to time attempts were made to reform the ICS. These reforms included introduction of competitive examination as a mode of entry, provision for systematic training and Indianization of the service. Pakistan inherited and continued with the British administrative system. The Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) was modelled after the ICS. A number of attempts were made to reform the CSP but all failed due to lack of political will and bureaucratic resistance to major administrative reforms.