3/20/2008
Learning from India's Civil Service
Singapore wants to learn lessons from India’s ‘growth story’ March 20th, 2008
By Prashant K. Nanda New Delhi, March 20 (IANS)
National University of Singapore (NUS) is inviting Indian civil servants to teach the ‘growth story’ to other Asian counterparts and in turn learn the best practices in public administration from global experts, all for free. “Many countries in the world want to know about India’s growth and we wish Indian civil servants to teach the developing countries. We are inviting them to do a course in our institute for free,” said Kenneth Paul Tan, assistant dean of NUS’ Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP).
When I read the above I thought it was a joke. No it is serious. And nothing personal against the Indian Civil Service, I thought we should be teaching the world our brand of world class civil service? Without being prejudicial, I still believe we have the best civil service among all the ex British colonies. Some may argue that Hongkong's is the best now, but it is a touch and go and you would need a set of criteria to compare them objectively.
If that is the case, why are we paying such high salaries to minister and civil servants for? You mean a highly-praised first world country with first world civil service need to learn from, excuse me, nothing personal against the Indian Civil Service, a lesser-praised ex British colony? Why can't we just import a few Indian ministers and civil servants at a fraction of the salary to run our administrative service? I bet the equivalent of our one minister's pay can take care of everything.
ReplyDeleteWhat is this asshole academic talking about?
ReplyDeleteThe idea is to eventually get rid of the civil service and replace it with private enterprise.
wow matilah, one day you are sinkie, next aussie, then kop khun, and now what? taliban or sikh?
ReplyDeleteAiya, this is tailored for those who can't afford to learn from our civil service. Therefore, 3rd world learn from 3rd world ma, it is so much cheaper that way.
ReplyDeleteThe invitation to another to teach the world will take the heat off us, since many have said that we bragged too much.
ReplyDeletethey may packaged the two systems together for a comparative study.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, marrying the two systems sound credible because our next caretaker PM could be an Indian.
ReplyDeleteI guess no one has read this piece in The Economist:
ReplyDeleteIndia's civil service | Battling the babu raj | Economist.com
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10804248
EXCERPT:
Indeed, all India's administration is inefficient. According to the Congress-led government's own estimate, most development spending fails to reach its intended recipients. Instead it is sponged up, or siphoned off, by a vast, tumorous bureaucracy. That is why, despite India's commitment to universal health care, water and education, only five countries have a lower portion of health spending in the public sector; over half of urban children are educated privately; and nearly all investment in irrigation is private. Under stress of tube-wells and a four-year drought, the water table in Jalaun has fallen by up to 15 metres. Despite the proximity of two great rivers, only 40% of the district is irrigated; no canal has been dug since colonial times. As the harvest approaches, over half of Jalaun's peasant inhabitants are growing nothing.
I always suspected that the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy was a Coterie of Fuck-Witz.
ReplyDeleteThis piece certainly bolsters my suspicions.