PETALING JAYA: A group of civil servants participating in a 10-month postgraduate course at the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) claim they were given the boot more than halfway through the course due to a sudden hike in grade requirements.
The 52 students had been pursuing a postgraduate diploma in public administration at Intan in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, since April. They were part of a larger group of 86 comprising civil servants from across the country.
They were scheduled to graduate on Feb 7 next year, and had already covered 80% of the course with only three modules left to go.
They said they had received letters on Nov 30 claiming they failed to meet the passing grade in the personality (commitment and discipline) component.
They were also given two days to pack up and return to their respective workplaces.
One of them told FMT that the Public Service Department (PSD), which runs Intan, sent out a circular on Nov 27 saying the minimum passing grade for the personality and academic modules had been raised from B to A-.
“First, they told us we have to buck up in two months. Then they told us we need to get a minimum A- in two weeks. It was like they pushed the goalposts further all of a sudden,” the civil servant added.
“The Intan director told us on Nov 27 that the passing mark had been adjusted from B to A-. Then three days later, they asked us to pack up and leave because we did not meet the passing mark.
“We would like to ask the PSD, why is this happening? This is not one or two students, but 52.”
The 86-student group had been shortlisted by Intan from 3,000 applicants who were considered the “creme de la creme” of the civil service and had the best appraisals in their departments.
It is learnt that of the 52 axed from the course, five are PhD holders and 20 have master’s degrees.
Those who took a sabbatical from work in order to complete the course will return to their jobs. However, four contract staff will return home jobless since they were required to resign from their posts before joining the course.
“We have spent eight months away from our families and children to stay in Bukit Kiara and study here,” the civil servant said.
A letter sent to the individuals let go from the course, sighted by FMT, said a special committee evaluating the DPA course members had decided to raise the passing grade from B to A- on Nov 23.
The letter, signed by an officer at the PSD director-general’s office, was sent to the 52 students and copied to the education ministry as well as members of the top PSD administration.
Another student told FMT that the 52 students had been entitled to a significant pay raise upon graduation.
“Those who have toiled in the civil service, climbing the ladder slowly, are upset that the graduates will go past them and likely be better than their bosses.
“Some of the graduates would be able to become deputy directors of their departments,” the student added.
FMT has contacted Intan and the PSD director-general for comment and is awaiting their reply. -FMT
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