Month: <span>April 2022</span>

One of the long-serving dedicated staff of the Department of Personnel Management Ms. Velina Ivuyo exits the Department after 30 years of her service to Public Service.

Ivuyo hails from Tufi in Northern Province.

She joined the department in 1990, at the young age of 26 as a Data Entry Officer at Payroll, and is still at the Payroll Section until her exit on March 29th of this year.

Ms. Ivuyo’s last message is for the young officers at DPM to learn knowledge from the experienced and senior officers.

“Passing down knowledge is important for young ones to learn and carry on the legacy in public service, for service delivery,” said Ivuyo.

“However, none of the new ones have knocked on my table and ask to know information,” she said.

Ms Ivuyo also encouraged young public servants at DPM to concentrate to enhance their careers, instead of looking for jobs with higher income to start their careers.

DPM National Agencies Director Ms. Roselyn Wrakuavia and few HR and Payroll staff were presented to witness   signing of her Deed of Release and   farewell Ms. Ivuyo.

Wrakuavia said, Ivuyo’s voluntary retirement at the age of 56 years is a big loss to the HR and Payroll section in particular.

“We have a big gap that has to be bridged especially at the payroll section now.”

She said a lot of people at Payroll and HR have learnt a lot from Ms. Ivuyo and she has left a legacy at the department.

Meanwhile, Ms Ivuyo said after serving the Department and Public Service for 32 years, she is happy to leave.

She is encouraging all DPM staff to serve with their heart, so they can be career public servants. Her Deed of Release was signed on the 29th of March, 2022, which has also seen the end of her career in the Public Service and DPM.

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Department of Personnel Management Secretary and interim Chair of the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance (PILAG) Board, Ms Taies Sansan, has urged all Public Servants to make it happen, by realizing the National Government’s agendas and policies.

She said this during PILAG’s 4th Graduation this month.

Ms Sansan said the government can only set policy agendas and make available resources.

“I want to stress that it is very important that government policies are implemented within the scarce allocation of resources we have, and ensure that every person feels the touch of government services”, said Ms Sansan.

She also told the graduands, most of them public servants, that the Marape/Basil government have competing needs, priorities and challenges in terms of the delivering of goods and services in the country.

“With the knowledge, skills, and competencies you have acquired at PILAG, you will help me, PILAG, and the government to instill and inspire a cultural revolution of uncompromising and   unyielding commitment to competently discharge the Oath of Service you have pledged to God and the people of this Country, through the government,” Ms Sansan said.

 The National Public Service is the single biggest employer in the Country with its presence from Waigani in Port Moresby to the remotest parts of PNG.

It has 141 government agencies across the 22 Provinces, with over 125, 000 public servants on the Government Ascender payroll.

Ms Sansan said the legacy mandate of the government of the day is to undertake reforms, intended to make the public service small.

A major impact of these reforms was the devolution of the HR powers that were given to the agency heads 13 years ago, and the decentralization of the financial and administrative powers to the lower tiers of the government.

DPM as the central government agency is supporting the reform, and is expected to have only 10 per cent of public servants in Pom to deal with policy matters, while the rest are implementing the work of the government in the districts and provinces.

This has also seen Prime Minister James Marape launching DPM’s 30-year Human Resource Strategic Plan 2020-2050 last year.

The plan highlights challenges and problems and have identified strategies to implement over the next 30 years.

“My challenge to you is; dare to be different, dare to be a change agent, dare to challenge the status quo, dare to be part of the solution, dare to be the best version of yourself every day, dare to be the change that you want to see in others. Only then, we can see the change, the perception of the public service for being complacent and corrupt to competent and committed”.

In this April edition of the Newsletter, we feature Loretta Kialos from Madang Province.

She works with the Department as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Manager Industrial and Employment Conditions for almost 8 years.

As the saying goes, ‘behind every successful woman and man, there is a man or woman behind’.

For single-mum Loretta, it was, “behind a successful mother, is her kids and immediate family”.

Kialos recently graduated with her 2nd Diploma in Government Human Resource from the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance (PILAG’s) 4th Graduation on the 8th of April, 2022.

She dedicated her career achievement to her family, and thanked DPM, and her superiors in the Division for providing the opportunity for Public Servants like her to further her studies.

“I am anticipating to fully complete my bachelor’s degree in the near future,” Kialos said.

DPM’s Human Resource Development Strategic Plan 2020-2025 supports career development for public servants.

Kialos and her colleague, Lynne Zuguzugufa who recently graduated with Diplomas in HR are fruits of this strategic plan.

Kiolas said the course was relevant to her area of responsibility at work.

“This really helped me to contribute to my divisional technical officers were required,” she said.

She said this will also give her an opportunity to elevate her position to take up higher challenges in her career in the department.

“In my view, DPM as an agency responsible for HR matters prioritizes upskilling and equipping public servants, so that there will be skilled public servants in the sector”.

Kialos said, “I would like to encourage my colleagues to give their best and take up challenges, because this is where you will achieve your possibilities, and overcome your self-esteem if you feel like you are one of those”.

Kialos said it is important for public servants to know the General Orders (GO) and the Public Service Management Act (PSMA). She urged DPM staff to uphold the motto, ‘Rise Up, Step Up, and Speak Up’, anywhere in the Public Service Sector, reflecting DPM’s initiative.

Department of Personnel Management staff were given an opportunity, to listen to renowned heart specialist Professor Isi Kevau during a presentation on health issues affecting Papua New Guineans. 

Professor Kevau was invited to give a health talk to the staff and made a presentation on communicable and non-communicable diseases that are on the rise in the country.

Department of Personnel Management Secretary Ms Taies Sansan said, it was necessary for a specialist doctor to give a session on conditions leading to health issues such as heart disease and other related communicable diseases so public servants can be made aware of the health risks.

“There’s a lot of public servants who are medically sick and need to undergo medical checks to know their status.”

“I think the National Department of Health and provincial Health Authorities should take the lead in doing awareness programs to public servants, so lifestyle diseases can be prevented”.

The Department of Personnel Management and the Department of Health have been in discussions for the establishment of a Clinic for Public Servants.

Department of Personnel Management is now in the process of finalizing a Medical & Life Insurance for Public Servants.

A submission is now before the National Executive Council for its endorsement. Awareness on the policy will be made as soon as it is endorsed by NEC.

The Department of Personnel Management Secretary, Ms Taies Sansan, has challenged the Executive Management Team to lead by example in timing and attendance to work.

Ms Sansan said this during the recent EMT Meeting.

Recent changes in timing and attendances has seen EMT members signing in on a time sheet on their attendance, before attending the meeting.

Ms Sansan said the issue of time and attendance are ongoing in the Department and Public Service as a whole, and it needs to be addressed.

“The Clock in, and Clock out system that was installed in all the PC’s in the Department was one of the measures to   address this issue”.

However, Ms Sansan said there are no action being taken to do pay deductions as yet.

“This is a challenge to you all. We are contributing to the cost of the Government”.

She called on EMT members to take responsibility in addressing it.

Corporate Affairs and Capacity Building and Human Resource Management will be given the Clock in and Clock out list from MIS for further analysis so that correct measures can be made.

Staff are advised to report to their line managers or MIS if they are on duty travels or are attending meetings and are not able to clock in and out, so that they manually record them to avoid getting pay-cuts.

Ms Sansan also advised EMT members of the inappropriate dressings by young officers.

She said, “EMT members must encourage the young officers to dress appropriately”.

Ms Sansan said she was frustrated to know that many DPM staff are still chewing betel-nut in the office, despite issuing circulars, which she said is not working.

“Senior officers, let’s take responsibilities,” said Ms Sansan.

“We must also respond to external correspondence immediately,” Sansan said.

She said a lot of external correspondences have been sitting idle for more than three months and this must stop.

“Once you get the external correspondences, you must not let them call you to follow-up, you must call them and acknowledge receipt of it, and respond quickly to their matters.” Meanwhile, Ms Sansan said Managers must follow orders in order to address payroll matters, time and attendances.