The 6th Annual Service Delivery Learning Academy

Date: 14-16 August 2007
Venue: Emperors Palace, Kempton Park

Theme: Building a Professional and Competent Public Service for Improved Delivery

Background & Purpose of the 6th Academy

The Minister for Public Service and Administration launched the Service Delivery Learning Academy Series in July 2002. Five sessions have been held since the launch. The academy continues to serve as an integrated, multi-sectoral platform for public servants to exchange ideas, share experiences and explore collaboratively solutions to challenges around integrated service delivery.

The public service has undergone major transformation over the last 13 years, and the present democratic government is mid-way through its term. Enormous progress has been made in re-orientating the culture, ethos and practice of the public service, and in extending basic services to the majority of the citizens of the country. However, there are still some leadership gaps; pursuing growth and development initiatives on a massive scale places enormous pressure on the system; in some areas public confidence in the system has waned and there is a need to rebuild trust, and there are still major challenges in improving the quality of services.

The Academy, as a learning platform that draws together a group of decision and policy makers and practitioners across all levels, will seek to reflect on some of these issues and take stock of the road traveled thus far. It will also explore best options to make the public service this learning, innovative, competitive and professional organisation that, relative to others, can be a custodian of the highest standard of professionalism, can achieve the highest levels of competence and quality and sustainable service delivery, in order to achieve the country's development objectives.

The academy will seek to explore the best possible approaches to get, retain, and develop a professional and well oiled cadre of public sector professionals across the entire system.

Sub theme 1: Interrogating public service competence

This sub-theme critically engage on requisite competencies for a professional and development orientated public service. It draws from experiences elsewhere in Africa, and from private, academic and development sectors in the country.

Sub theme 2: Professionalising the public service and building accountability

In its focus, the sub-theme critically reflect on and review various state initiatives aimed at accelerating development. It also draws from practical experiences elsewhere on how to achieve high levels of competence in service delivery and entrench accountability to drive sustainable development.

Sub theme 3: Leadership for excellence

This sub-theme will focus on how to build leadership to achieve excellence in service delivery and arrest the threat of mediocrity in state institutions. The session will focus on 'recipes' from practical experiences.

Targeted Audience

Our target audience is largely officials who are at the coalface of service delivery, namely:

• Heads of service delivery institutions which interface with the citizens, such as hospitals, education regional offices, prisons, etc., including senior and executive managers of government departments
• Public servants who are project managers (across rank)
• Public entities
• Local government
• Civil society - select NGOs and academics

Programme

Day 1

Sub theme: Interrogating public service competence