‘Capacity building for service excellence’ program for Lankan public service

• Initiative by Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Public Administration and Management and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration  in collaboration with Temasek Foundation International and Civil Service College, Singapore
• First public service conference conducted last week as one of many activities planned under this initiative

The Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Public Administration and Management and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), in collaboration with Temasek Foundation International and Civil Service College, Singapore, have launched the ‘Capacity Building for Service Excellence’ program for the Sri Lankan public service.

The program is a development initiative arising from the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Civil Service College (CSC) Singapore and the Ministry of Public Administration and Management, Sri Lanka, on 18 July 2016. The MOU was witnessed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

The ‘Capacity Building for Service Excellence’ program aims to strengthen Sri Lanka’s public sector leadership pipeline through the participation of selected high potential Sri Lankan administrative officers. The program also facilitates the exchange of public sector experiences between Singapore and Sri Lanka in the areas of public sector leadership, governance and institution building. 

This long-term program will comprise workshops, project coaching and e-Learning. Technology enabled learning such as virtual classrooms and webinars will be leveraged to ensure continuous support for the participants throughout the program.

CSC International Director Tina Tan stated that the CSC was pleased to partner Temasek Foundation International, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Public Administration and Management and SLIDA to develop this program. Accordingly, she hoped that the participants will not only gain a conceptual understanding of leadership and managing change but also acquire a deeper appreciation of the complexities of implementing change on the ground as well as building a network of practitioners and support.

As one of many activities planned under this program, a public service conference was held in SLIDA on 20 October for senior public officials where Minister of Public Administration and Management Ranjith Madduma Bandara and National Policies and Economic Affairs Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva participated in the inauguration ceremony. 

The conference was attended by Secretary to the Prime Minister Saman Ekanayake and Ministry of Public Administration and Management Secretary J.J. Ratnasiri, Member of Temasek Foundation International Khoo Boon Hui and SLIDA Director General Wasantha Perera.