The civil service has stopped grouping its officers
according to their education levels, in a move to address the
impression that the career progression of a civil servant is
determined by paper qualifications.
Since Jan 1, the civil service has ceased describing
its officers by their division status in employee manuals,
circulars and policies, the Public Service Division (PSD) told The
Straits Times.
There were four divisions.
Division I officers were graduates, Division II
officers were diploma and A-level certificate holders, Division III
officers had secondary education, and those in Division IV had
primary education.
As of 2013, 56 per cent of the 80,000 civil servants
were in Division I. About one-third were in Division II, and 7 per
cent and 5 per cent in Division III and IV respectively.
Now, officers
will be referred to by their existing grades, which reflect their
job scope and pay range.
"The change is
in recognition that this administrative classification could leave
a perception that our officers' capabilities and potential for
higher-level work are determined or limited by their educational
qualifications, which is not so," PSD said. It noted that
educational qualifications could be used to assess a job seeker
with no work experience. But an officer's career progression would
be based on his job performance and readiness to take on greater
responsibilities, it added.
Also, relevant
work experience would be more important than academic
qualifications when assessing mid-career candidates, PSD said.
The change
follows recent moves by the civil service to stop distinguishing
between graduates and non-graduates in its ranks.
For instance,
non-degree holders joining the civil service to perform management
support roles have been hired under the same Management Executive
Scheme as university graduates since August 2015.
Since October
2015, teachers without degrees have been put on the same pay scale
as their peers who are graduates. The Singapore Police Force, too,
revised its rank structure last July so that its non-graduate
officers can rise through the ranks faster.
Such moves
"provide equal opportunities for career advancement and development
to both graduate and non-graduate officers who are assessed to have
the same performance and potential", the PSD said.
Mr Yeo Chun
Fing, general secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public
Employees, said members had complained of supervisors having
reservations about promoting them to roles normally performed by
officers of a higher division. The change will reinforce the point
that one's ability should not be based rigidly on paper
qualifications, he said. "This is in line with the civil service's
move towards describing people by their capabilities and potential
rather than their education level."
Singapore
Human Resources Institute president Erman Tan said Singapore's
largest employer is setting an example for other sectors to rethink
their recruitment and talent development policies. "Hopefully, this
will gradually lead society to focus less on the paper chase."