An overview of Civil Servants Training Policy in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Document Analysis

Abstract

In-service training has provided to civil servants through Civil Service Training Institutes (CSTIs) established for this purpose. Such practice is widely accepted and implemented the world over. However, the absence of the required policy environment has forced these institutes to ‘ride a blind horse'. This study, aimed to examine the policy environment established to facilitate the training provisions of CSTIs in Ethiopia. To this end, a document analysis method was employed, and data obtained from government documents were analyzed to determine the extent of the facilitation of the existing civil servants' training policy environment and to see the prospects of having favorable civil service training policy in Ethiopia. As the research findings revealed, Ethiopia is a pioneer country in introducing a civil service and civil servants training system in Africa and developing countries of the world. Despite this, currently, Ethiopia deprives of a facilitative civil service training policy environment. The Federal Civil Service Commission is mandated to coordinate, formulate civil service training-related policy environments, supervise, and monitor policy implementation. However, by now, Ethiopia does not have the required federal-level policy framework to regulate civil service training programs either in the form of embedded or independent document. Ethiopia also lacks most of the indicators that are directly related to the policy foundations of the civil service training. The prospect of having a CST policy seems far from reach unless especial attention is provided to the sector.

Keywords: Civil Servant, In-service Training, Civil Service Training Institute, Training Policy, Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.7176/DCS/13-2-04

Publication date: February 28^th 2023