All sectors needed to boost and professionalise the public service

THE major challenges that continue to face the South African public sector include programmes to address inequality, youth unemployment and job creation. Various sectors of society know very well about the danger of not addressing these challenges. Lasting solutions need to be urgently found, to achieve desired social peace and stability.

Attempts by national government to professionalise the public service need co-operation from all: non-governmental and private sector organisations. As things stand, local government remains more concerned about destructive squabbles among political parties than grappling with issues relating to the basic needs of serviced communities.

Today there are very few services traditionally provided by the public sector that are not also provided somewhere by the private or civil society sectors.

For example, some businesses run public schools and fire departments, while civil society organisations run programmes that rehabilitate convicts.

They also they run banks, and develop local communities through employment creation and capacitybuilding programmes.

Such programmes include provision of health services, and caring for the homeless and destitute.

Those who still believe government and business should be separate, oppose these innovations whether they are successful or not, arguing against the backdrop of an ever-changing world and new ways of doing things.

Civil society organisations in particular offer the following attractive options to public sector organisations:

· Publicly discuss and express opinions on public administration and public affairs

· Involvement in all social, political, economic, technological and educational issues that may cause harm to society or individuals

· Work with and remain in constant communication with other sectors of society

· Enter into funding partnership with government or add resources where the latter may be unable to operate due to legal or other restrictions

· Provide information from which government can plan for the future.

The following added benefits can also be derived from civil society participation in public affairs and public administration:

· Delivery of services would be in response to local preferences and constraints

· Approved services would have an increased service coverage because they would be in need and demand-driven

· Service delivery members of staff would be exposed to continuous evaluation that would enhance their performance

· Effectiveness and efficiency of existing public and community services would be continuously assessed and advantage would be taken of their strengths

· Dependence on limited resources would decrease due to multi-sectoral involvement

· Needs would be accurately assessed, and that would reflect and represent steps of any basic research process

· Active participation would lead to an identification of other services, resources and promotion of related activities.