NIPA entrance exam to be postponed

ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division on Wednesday asked the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) to postpone the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) entrance examination for officers in BS-19 in order to implement the decision of the Federal Service Tribunal (FST).

“The Federal Service Tribunal in its decision had ruled that the entrance exam for these officers was neither constitutional nor administratively necessary,” sources told Daily Times. After the FST judgment, the Establishment Division asked the FPSC to postpone the NIPA entrance exam.

Sources said the promotion policy under the civil services reforms required the exam to be held for the officers in BS-19, making it an essential requirement for their promotion to the next grade. They mentioned the FPSC had held the NIPA entrance exams last year but some officers belonging to different occupational groups challenged these tests in the FST and the tribunal declared in its judgment that these exams were against the Constitution.

This exam was also anticipated in the mid of July but the establishment asked for their postponement after the judgement of the FST. The decision to make these exams mandatory for promotion was not appreciated by the bureaucrats since it was decided that an officer who did not succeed in them in three attempts would not be promoted to the next grade.

Daily Times learnt that many officers in Grade 19 have completed their required length of service for promotion in Grade 20, but their failure to clear this obstacle in three attempts has ruined their chances to qualify for promotion to the next grade. Similarly, a promotion exam was required for Grade-18 officers. Each candidate had three opportunities to clear the test, failing which he could be forcefully retired. The government employees also challenged that decision in the FST. The tribunal declared this policy void but the Establishment Division filed an appeal against the decision. However, the government decided on its own to withdraw the compulsory retirement rule from the promotion policy. —Mohammad Imran

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