Adhikari, 27, was among a pool of people standing in the summer sun at the premises of the Public Service Commission (PSC) at Anam Nagar to submit their applications for the post of Section Officer.[break]
At a time when the country’s unemployment rate stands at about 46%, and most of the young brains see opportunities in foreign lands, a chunk of the future generation still believes the country has opportunities for them, and there is a future in Nepal and that too, in government service.
Hari Prasad Pokhrel, 28, who now works at the Office of the Controller of Certification under the Ministry of Science and Technology, says he has not only secured a job but is also making a contribution through his work to the country.
His job description ranges from implementation of cyber security to secure the government’s and the country’s information system.
However, getting into government service isn’t an easy feat. But a section of the youth force seems committed.
After vacancies are published, a serious sequence of written examination followed by an interview is what it takes to secure the job—and they’re rigorous—says Dr Niranjan Prasad Upadhyay, spokesperson for the PSC – known as Lok Sewas Ayog in Nepali – the government body that regulates the examination procedures and helps select future civil servants.
And topping it off, the number of applicants is huge and the intake very limited.
An arduous task
Pokhrel says he studied hard enough to make it through the PSC exams. He was one of the two lucky candidates who were selected from 190 applicants.
“It was a 45-minute interview,” he recalls. “You’re asked about everything—from technical stuff from my field of work to the country’s socio-political affairs, world affairs…”
Shruti Kadariya, 22, who now works as an attaché in the Consulate General of Nepal in Hong Kong, defines her three-month rigorous study period for the Lok Sewa Ayog exams like a “scientific study.”
Upadhyay from the PSC points out that the examinations have been designed in coordination with the university’s syllabus, and the interviews well-designed to test the candidate’s aptitude so that the government has the best of the youth force.
“This system also leaves no chance for nepotism,” Upadhyay says. “There’s an open and a fair competition.” It is after that, he says, that nepotism comes into play for transfers and promotions.
Adhikari also believes that the selection is fair. That’s what this graduate in population studies with distinction from Tribhuvan University inspired to apply for a government job.
“Moreover, there’s also a sense of stability, job security and opportunities for growth,” he lists down for his choice of government service versus private-sector jobs.
And the rise of young applicants during the past years proves that there is an interest in government jobs among young people, and for various reasons.
In numbers
According to Public Service Commission’s latest annual report, in 2065/66 BS (2008/09-2009/10), the most number of applications, 28,978, were received from people within 21-25 age bracket. There were 10,417 applications from people between 18-20 years, and 22,737 applications from the age bracket of 26-30.
The year previous to that also had significant number of young applicants. There were 60,308 applicants between the ages of 21 and 25.
The number of young applicants is on the rise compared to 5,364 applicants in the 21-25 age bracket in 2054/55 BS (some 13 years ago), none to be followed within this range for the next three years.
“This shows that young people are interested in government jobs,” Upadhyay says. “The applications we get show that.”
The contradiction
But Rajendra Mulmi, director of programs for an international non-governmental organization in Kathmandu and also an advocate for youth, says that government jobs haven’t really been able to pull a significant number of youth.
He says it has “developed a class in itself” attracting a majority of people outside the urban spheres.
Various reasons contribute to this factor. People who come from outside the capital, says Adhikari, who himself is from Lamjung, don’t have high expectations or a lavish lifestyle and don’t hesitate to start from the civil service.
Mumli notes that minimal salary, benefits and the bureaucracy could repel most of the youth from applying to government jobs.
Apart from these, there is also a negative connotation toward government jobs. The government has failed to garner a trust among people, its inefficiency and corruption coming to the frontline.
“What people think is true to a certain extent,” admits Upadhyay. He says it’s due to political interference and party-affiliated employees’ unions.
At the same time, he adds, that this trend shouldn’t demoralize the youth force from coming to government jobs as they could be agents of change. They can contribute a lot in the government sector for they are highly motivated, active and full of team spirit.
People like Pokhrel and Kadariya are proving it. Pokhrel says that people’s perspectives of government job are negative, for they think it’s easy, and government employees don’t deliver.
Having worked at a private company before joining the government sector, he says the level of work is the same. “It’s not that government jobs are easy,” Pokhrel says.
Kadariya states that she is “impressed with the career ladder” within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Sounds trite,” she says, “but this is a service where we can really have chances to do something concrete for our country. Being part of the government, I have enough respect for all government services.”
But then again, some of the faults in civil service need to be underscored, Mulmi says.
The advocate for youth, who once appeared for and got frustrated at the Lok Sewa exams himself, Mulmi raises the issue of the entire examination process. According to him, it’s “still a very traditional process” that doesn’t help to measure the required competencies.
Amid the frustration among youth, unemployment and job cuts around the world due to recessions, the Public Service Commission spokesperson Upadhyay refers to government jobs as an “institution of hope.”
A hopeful endeavor
For people like Adhikari, who have recently graduated and looking forward to join the civil workforce, carry the same notion.
“I’ll try,” Adhikari says. “I’ll study hard. And I heard it’s a fair game here. So let’s see.”
And it’s the young generation, the future civil servants who enter the system, could actually change the system. As Mulmi points out, the progress in the information and communication sector of the country has been highly led by the youth force, who have strived for change.
“So if the same thought is there in the government system, the future could be hopeful,” Mulmi says.
For more information on the examination dates for various levels and vacancy notices in Nepal Government, log on to topsc.gov.np
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