Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy was established on 21 October, 1987. It is housed in the buildings and premises of former Gazetted Officer's Training Academy where erstwhile EPCS officers used to get training during pre-independence days and which inaugurated on 27 December 1987. Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Cadre is one of the main parts of the country's administrative machinery. Officers of this cadre play an important role in different areas of management like administration of criminal justice, land management, election management, public policy making etc. Hencde, a wide professional training is required for officers of this cadre. Consequent upon a government decision taken on 16 December 1987, the Foreign Service Training Institute was abolished and merged with this Academy. For about nine years since then training was imparted to the yound officers of Foreign Service at the BCS Administration Academy. Subsequently a separate Foreign Service Training Institute was set up on 1 January 1997. Presently, the Academy is responsible for the basic training in Law and Administration for the officers of Administration Cadre only.
2. Ojectives :
The Academy has the following objectives :
(a) Imparting analytical and practical training to young and mid-level officers of BCS Administration Cadre with a view to enhancing their professional effeciency and competence;
(b) Taking necessary measures for the exchange of ideas, sharing of experiences, and enhancement of commitment among the young well as senir civil servants;
(c) Producing an echelon of well-prepared, disciplined, responsible and committed officers with balanced development of body and mind through training;
(d) Holding seminars, symposia, workshops etc. on important issues in public administration and socio-economic subjects;
(e) Establishment and development of mutual relationship and liaison with different training institutions in the country and abroad;
(f) Rendering consultancy services to the government on isses of public administration and management; and
(g) Conducting research programme to evaluate the fruitfulness of public administration and secretariat management training and training techniques.
3. Training Programmes :
Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy organizes the following training courses :
4. Location of the Academy :
The Academy is located at Shahbag, a central place of Dhaka Metropolitan City. In an area of 2.35 acres, the Academy has a five-stored main building, residential flats and a small play ground. A new 15 storied multi-purpose building is being constructed at the premises. Moreover, construction of residential flats for officers and staff of the Academy is going on in a plot 0.66 acre of land at Nilkhet.
5. Faculty and Staff :
A Director General is an overall charge of the Academy. Under the Director General a Faculty, directly involved with training activities, is composed of three Director, five Deputy Directors, two Assistant Directors, one Research Officer and one Publication Officer. Besides, an Accounts Officer, a Medical Officer and Librarian are also individually inculded as members of the Faculty. The Director General of the Academy is an officer of the level of Additional Secretary to the Government. The Directors are of the level of Deputy Secretary. The members of the Faculty by turn work as Directors and co-ordinators of different training courses. Provisions are made for 16 Officers and 79 other staff in the present organisational structure of the Academy.
6. Training Methodology :
The Academy endeavours to use modern training technique in its training programmes. So, more stress is attached to practical methods than lectures in class rooms. Methods like case study, group discussion, syndicate exercise and role play are used in training activities. Raising of questions and answering to those are encouraged in ordinary classroom lecture sessions. Participants are divided into small groups and they are made to deliberate on specofic problems. They engage in group discussions and then prepare and submi reports containing probable solutions to the problem with their considered opinions.
7. Residential Accommodation :
Accommodation of participants is providing in the dormitory portion of the Academy's five-storied main building. The trainees have to stay in the dormitory since their courses are compulsorily residential. At present the dormitory building has accommodation for 90 trainees including 12 seats for the ladies. Two participants have to share a room where the Academy supplies the bedding and other incidental provisions. The dormitory portion also have a recreation room, a dining room and a prayer room. Facilities for watching television and listening music are available in the recreation room. The Academy has an auditorium with a capacity of 200 seats. Due emphasis is laid on a disciplined, through plain and simple, dormitory life for the participants.
8. Library :
The library of the Academy possesses more than 20,500 books on law, rules, public administration, diplomacy, economics, management, sociology and humanities subjects. Moreover, a good number of books on religion, novels and travelogues have enriched the stock of the library. Almost all the news papers, magazines and periodicals of the country and several internationally reputed magazines are kept here. Since the training programmes of the Academy are of high standard, the participants are encouraged to engage in wide reading and library work. The library keeps open upto 9 O'clock in the evening. The members of Faculty, trainees and other distinguished persons may borrow books on requisition. Moreover, books are also collected through exchange programmes with other libraries.
9. Training Performance :
Since its inception in October 1987, the Academy has accomplished an impresive training performance. An account of such performance is given below :
No. of Participants
| Sl.
No |
Name of Courses | No. of
Courses |
Male | Female | Total |
| 01. | Law and Administration |
34
|
1489
|
179
|
1668
|
|
02.
|
Advanced Law & Administration |
3
|
139
|
--
|
139
|
|
03.
|
Special Law & Admn. |
5
|
203
|
14
|
217
|
|
04.
|
Orientation for Probationary Assistant Commissioner |
3
|
73
|
47
|
120
|
|
05.
|
Land Management |
1
|
31
|
--
|
31
|
|
06.
|
Land Acquisition Act |
1
|
27
|
--
|
27
|
|
07.
|
Foreign Affairs |
4
|
29
|
3
|
32
|
|
08.
|
Orientation for Spouses of Young Officers of BCS (Foreign Affairs) |
1
|
27
|
27
|
|
|
09.
|
Secretariat Management |
2
|
84
|
11
|
95
|
|
10.
|
Research Methodology |
1
|
12
|
--
|
12
|
|
11.
|
FInancial Management |
3
|
37
|
4
|
41
|
|
12.
|
Environment Management |
2
|
37
|
3
|
40
|
|
13.
|
Staff Development |
9
|
215
|
6
|
221
|
|
69
|
2376
|
294
|
2670
|
10. Year-wise break-up :
The year-wise break-up of the number of officials trained in the Academy is as follows :
Sl. No.
Training Year (July-June) Officers
Trained
01.
1987-88
150
02.
1988-98
393
03.
1989-90
248
04.
1990-91
390
05.
1991-92
203
06.
1992-93
372
07.
1993-94
209
08.
1994-95
214
09.
1995-96
176
10.
1996-97
120
11.
1997-98 (May'98)
195
Total
2670
11. Research and Publication :
Under the overall leadership of the Director General and supervision of a Director, a Research Officer identifies the fields for research in public administration, management, economic development, criminal justice and other socio-economic subjects. The members of the Faculty too conduct research work in the fields allocated to them. The main objectives of the Academy Research Wing is to gather information from field sources with a view to upgrading the training courses and to change the curriculum according to the needs of the time. It also aims at assessing the effectiveness of the training courses. Also included in its research programe is the writing of guide lines and manuals for management of courts and offices on the basis of training and experiences. Arrangement is made to publish basic books on public administration and socio-economic subjects on the basis of experiences and research findings. Publication activities of the Academy include journals, bulletins and periodicals related to training.
12. Evaluation :
A two-way evaluation system is followed in the Academy. The members of the Faculty internally evaluate the participants of the training courses. The level of attainment of participants in training courses is assessed in different aspects like attendance in training sessions, dormitory and classroom conduct, standards of written reports, involvement in training and practical exercises, efficiency in extra-carricular activities and marks obtained in examinations of each module. The participants also make assessment of the performance of guest speakers and members of the faculty during training. The courses are being evaluated on the basis of post-course discussion and the participants deliberations and response to set questionnaires. Course evaluation is accomplished to ascertain the level of success of the syllabus and subjects included in the course in raising the horizon of knowledge. It also aims at assessing the fruitfulness of the training programme.
13. Limitation of the Academy :
The present strength of manpower in BCS (Administration) cadres is little more than five thousand. Moreover, an average of 80/100 young officers join it in every two years. About 200 officers are yet to undergo Law and Administration Course due to backlog in training. Two courses are being simultaneously run in the Academy for the last one year so as to clear this backlog.
Pre-occupation with Law and Administration courses and shortage of accommodation and classrooms inhibit the Academy to arrange training courses to improve the effeciency of mod-level and senior officers of the cadre.
A basic Law and Administration course of at least 12 month duration should be introduced in the Academy with a view to raise the efficiency of officers of BCS Administration cadre. But owing to backlog, only four month long courses are being organized at present. It will be possible to extend the duration of the training courses once the new academic-cum-administrative building is built by the year 2000.
Some modern instruments are being used as training equipment. The Academy has recently procured three computers. But it lacks in modern facilities like multi-media. A new computer centre with 20 computers and a modern language laboratory is being set up sith the help of UNDP technical assistance soon.
14. Development Project :
The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh has adopted an Institutional Development Project for enhancing the capacity of the Academy. The particulars of the project may be cited here in brief :
Name : Institutional Development Project of Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy.
Objectives : a) Enhancement of physical facilities of the BCS Administration Academy with a view to multiplication, upgradation and modernization of its training programmes.
b) Construction of residentital accommodation for officers and staff and enhancement of sports facilities.
Project Cost : Taka 152.28 million.
Source of Fund : Government grants from Annual Development Programme.
Project Impact :
(a) Institutional : Upto May 1998, a total number of 2670 officials have got training on law and administration from the Academy since its inception in 1987. Hardly 90 participants can undergo training at the Academy with its prevailing facilities. An auditorium and a conference room are being used as classroom for the trainees. On the 5th and 6th floors of the proposed academic cum admninistrative building an additional 50 persons may be accommodated. Subsequently when the 15 storied building will be completed, accommodation will rise to 340.
(b) Training : Within three years of the completion of the project, there would be no training backlog in Administration cadre and it will be possible to introduce a regular 12 month long Law and Administration course.
(c) Residential Buildings : Construction work of 14 flats fr officers and 21 flats at the first instance for other employees is going on in the new residential area. Twenty additional flats will be built there for the emplyees in the near future.
15. Conclusion : Bangladesh
Civil Service Administration Academy is alive to the future needs of the
Administration cadre officers who will be required to meet the challenges
of the administration of Bangladesh in the 21st century. More and more
challenging factors of life will then necessitate the deployment of a echelon
of well prepared functionaries who will lead the country into a state of
prosperity. The Academy looks foreward to play its due role in preparing
that echelon of people.