The Civil Service Agency (CSA) of Liberia on Friday, October 18, showcased its modern and state of the art National Civil Service Testing Center to an array of journalists from various institutions lead by the Director General of the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS ), Mr. Eugene Fahngon, where the CSA Director General Josiah F. Joekai explained the significance and benefits of a computer-based national testing for jobs in the civil service.
The CSA Director General said the country has to be fast to reform the civil service and change the poor situation in the service, and bring some professionals on board so as to change the outlook of the country.
The CSA boss disclosed that there are many people who entered civil service improperly without the requisite qualifications for jobs that they sought and are assigned, stating that this has also become a problem for national development and progress in the country.
He said the skyscrapers and modern networks in other countries are built by servants, and added that Liberia could be developed provided the right people qualified for the tasks they are assigned are given the jobs they do, pointing out that this necessitates the need for reform that generated the idea of a computer-based national testing center.
“But the good thing is people who do not have a high school certificate and diploma will not apply. If you look at the stage that we work on – the ESRP, if you take 10, 000 plus and 6, 000 plus that is almost 17,000 occupy jobs in the civil service, who were not supposed to be talking about taking test, not to talk about working in critical positions within the civil service,” Hon. Joekai said.
The Civil Service Agency boss further noted, “People don’t dump those kinds of people on the civil service which was not supposed to be the case;” the said stating that the Civil Service we have is not a reflection of the kind of civil service his administration envisioned for the Liberian service service.
As he put on display to the public through the media walkthrough the newly automated National Civil Service Testing Center within the Agency’s Headquarters a t the EJS Ministerial Center in Congo Town, he announced that the testing rooms has 27 cubicles – meaning that 27 people can take the test at the same time, and added that the National Testing Center for the Civil Service Agency is expected to be inaugurated soon by President Joseph N. Boakai.
CSA Director General Joekai further explained that the National Civil Service testing or examination process is provided for by law that every individual seeking job in the civil service has to be tested and if passed, be certificated and that the candidate has to show that they pass the test before they can start to apply for a job into the Civil Service.
The CSA Director General also indicated that the opportunity of a state of the art computer-based National Civil Service Testing Center was denied Liberians for some time, and noted that in fact the testing that was done was a paper-based test, adding that this time around it is a different story altogether. “The Civil Service Agency has automated and modernized the testing system; the Agency has by now up to eighty five (85) professional and testable positions to be applied for.”
According to him, the system has been modernized with up-to-date technology whereby applicants will have to sit in cubicles and write the test in a conducive atmosphere comparable to an environment of any testing center in the Western world.
Considering that the CSA is encouraging meritocracy by the automated testing center, the Director General pointed out that although people will sit in the cubicles side by side, they will notwithstanding be unable to spy on each other as the system will be generating separate tests for each of the applicants.
He pointed out that applicants may register for the test online using the CSA online website – www.csa.gov.lr and later appear at the testing hall in person to take their examination for the positions they intend to apply for, stating that by this you would have book for a cubicle assigned for your testing at the CSA testing Center.
Asked about the influx of applicants in a country where jobs are scarce and qualified people are desperate for jobs, Hon. Joekai said he is definitely concerned, and that he was waiting for the president to make a case for a national testing center exclusive from the CSA Headquarters. He pointed out further that he will push for a national testing environment befitting of its name and function, adding but we have to get started.
Meanwhile the CSA Director General clarified that janitorial and other similar positions are not testable positions, noting, “We will need them, our reform is not to put them out or deprive the jobs within the civil service.
