Public Sector Reform Recommendations Expected Next Week
A final report outlining recommendations to improve efficiency and accountability within Antigua and Barbuda’s public service is expected to be submitted to Cabinet at its next sitting, government officials confirmed Thursday.
The reform committee, which has been reviewing the structure and performance of the civil service, is finalizing its proposals aimed at modernizing operations and ensuring better service delivery across ministries and departments.
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said the report was initially scheduled for presentation this week but was delayed to allow further refinement.
“This is a critical initiative driven by the vision of Prime Minister Gaston Browne and the Cabinet to make the public sector more efficient in serving the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” Merchant said.
The reform effort comes amid longstanding complaints about bureaucratic inefficiencies and inconsistent service standards. Merchant noted that public sector managers, including permanent secretaries and department heads, would be held accountable for implementing approved changes.
“These reforms are not only about restructuring — they are about ensuring that those entrusted with executing government policy do so efficiently and responsibly,” he added.
The government has also indicated that high-performing public servants will be recognized, and those who consistently underperform could face disciplinary measures.
Details of the recommendations are expected to be made public once reviewed and adopted by Cabinet.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
There is a situation that is happening in our schools. I am aware that the Teachers Union is the representative of the teachers. However, the government needs to look into these two areas.
1) The limited contact time our children are having with our teachers in the public schools. The government secondary school are conducting end of term exams earlier and earlier. Then after the exams are completed they tell the children not to come to school. So as far as I am concerned all the Public School Schools or on pre- summer holidays. This is an entire month of content time. This doesn’t happen in the private school.
2) The second thing still happening in the government school- this time the primary school. The days that common entrance exams are held all government Primary school children stay at home, except those that are writing the common entrance exams. So A school let’s say of 400 children, with a grade 6 of 30 children, the other 370 children are told to stay at home. The private schools let the children sit their exams in the library, in a church etc. The parents that take their children to private schools don’t pay for services not rendered.
The parents with children in the public schools are struggling- after all the industrial actions and sit-ins. The ministry of education should do better in ensuring our children get all the available content time. Leaving our children home idly, unattended is not what we are paying our taxes for.
The Lazy minister and director of education needs to get up off their butts and drive to the school this week and next and see why I am taking about. The education officer in charge of secondary school needs to visit these schools and see what I am talking about.
No excuses that the public school teachers need time to mark exams and enter information to prepare reports. Take a page out the private schools . So is not just the quality children go to private schools. Not just children of the more educated and affluent go to private schools let. The children that go to the private schools get their full allotment of quality contact time.
The public schools teachers are generally more qualified, all goes through the teachers training. They are awarded free scholarships-first degrees, Masters and doctorates. Then they get upgraded salaries and allowances. Although the public school teachers get vacations every term the same time as the children. They still are allowed vacations/ long leaves.
This needs to be addressed urgently.
I hope the report will start with, “ministers must leave civil servants to do their jobs and civil servants must follow the existing rules and regulations and not what ministers say”. As a matter of fact, that’s all the report needs to say.