The Federal Government has conducted Computer Based Test (CBT) Confirmation and Promotion (COMPRO) Examination for 9, 618 junior public servants, including personnel of para-military organisations across the country.
In an interview with newsmen, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation(HCSF), explained that the new initiative was part of the ongoing reforms as encapsulated in the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 25).
Yemi-Esan represented by the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office in the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, explained that the exercise was part of walking the talk on the on-going digitalisation drive of the OHCSF, which is aimed at repositioning the Service for improved service delivery to the public.
Conducting newsmen round the examination centres located in Maitama, Kubwa and Life Camp, she assured that the CBT would be sustained for all cadre of Federal public servants.
She said: “The COMPRO is designed to test how well the public servants know the Service and the level of the specialisation to handle the assignments given to them.
“It is just to test their efficiency and know how they are able to perceive and understand the public service.
“It is also part of the ongoing reforms in the Federal public service and FCSSIP 25 which has six pillars and one of the pillars is digitalisation.
“Over the years, we have been handling papers and we have a lot of human interference in our activities.
“But going digital, we are now reducing the human interference and contact with what we are doing, it is now done seamlessly.
“There is no way that anybody can manipulate the examination. So, it is a way of walking the talk in the OHCSF that ensures that Service and workplaces are digitalised.”
According to her, the COMPRO examination was a highly rated and seamless examination with less human influence, which will give way to transparency and prompt release of results, unlike in the past where a lot of bulk question and answer sheets of papers were handled, resulting in human interference in the assessment of Officers.
On the conduct of the examination, she commended the orderly conduct of the candidates in the centres visited.
She revealed that this was the first time the junior cadre would participate in CBT.
She noted that one of the areas which has been identified that needs some improvement is the accreditation of the candidates, assuring that his office would go back to the drawing board.
She also acknowledged improvement on computer usage by various candidates, which was a big plus compared to what was obtainable in the past.
Also speaking on the measures put in place to avoid compromise of the examination process, the Director, Learning and Development in the OHCSF, Mr. Atabor Adamu, stressed that some of the challenges encountered last year have been addressed through the upgrade of the examination portal as well as introduction of electronic devices.
He added that the conduct of the CBT COMPRO Examination exercise was a seamless one due to awareness and dogged determination of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to reposition the Service for effective service delivery.
