NPC is supporting four selected state universities to capacitate frontline government officers to ensure delivery of non-discriminatory and inclusive service with funding support by Freedom House. Sabaragamuwa University and Eastern University commenced the academic activities of the Advanced Certificate Course in Inclusive Service Delivery for Sustainable Peace with government officials from the state’s management service, excise, national integration and village level Grama Niladari officers and development officers.
Sabaragamuwa University was the first university to commence the academic activities with Eastern University being the second. Eastern University was about to commence the academic activities related to this course some two months ago but this got delayed due to the trade union actions of university academics. The identification of the diverse group of students by the two universities was itself a positive factor for successful course delivery. Group work was conducted and all students actively participated demonstrating keen interest.
One of the participating government officers remarked, “The discussion study method made us more interested in participating in class as the discussion was on practical issues and problems we faced in office and field which was very helpful to us to apply the theories.”
Another government official said, “This course provides us with a good platform to share our official experiences since we were able to meet other government officers who work in different institutions. This is so practical and it not only helps us to solve problems relevant to people we serve but also problems faced by our fellow officers.”
The student feedback on study structure gives a good sign that the course has identified an effective way by which the course content may be delivered to the government officers. The six month advanced certificate course is aimed at enhancing the quality of government services to make sure each citizen gets an equal opportunity to access government services. Two more universities, Jaffna and Ruhuna, will commence the certificate course in the near future.