SS3 First Term Civic Education Lesson Note – Public Service in a Democracy

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WEEK 5         

SUBJECT: CIVIC EDUCATION

CLASS: SS 3

TOPIC: PUBLIC SERVICE IN A DEMOCRACY

CONTENT:

• Meaning of Public service
• Reasons for the short comings in the public Services

Meaning of Public Service

Public service can be defined as the arm of executive organ of government set up to provide administrative and technical services for the smooth running of government agencies, corporation, parastatals, and ministries that render public service. It is the unit of government which is saddled with the responsibility of carrying out day to day operation for the smooth running of the government. It can also be defined as the totality of administration / structure within which the work of government is carried out.

However, it is important to note that public service is different from the civil service,

while civil service is a component of the public service, it is that part of the executive arm of government responsible for the implementation of government policies and programmes. Workers of the civil service are recruited by the civil service commission, paid from the consolidated fund of the government and are called civil servants.

The public service is set up by an Act of parliament for the provision of services such as postal services pipe-born water, electricity, education, security etc. Basically, public service as set up by the government can be likened to an enterprise being run and financed by the government. These enterprises or public service institution are also known as corporations or parastatals e..g Nigerian Railway corporation, Nigerian Port Authority, Nigerian National Petroleum corporation, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria etc. Government appoints a board of directors over each of these corporations or parastatals to oversee their affairs for a special period of time.

1. Principles /Characteristics of the Public Service

The public service is guided on established principles:

1. Political Neutrality: Public servants are not expected to be involved in partisan politics. Though they are allowed to vote during elections, they are to be neutral and not card-carrying members of any political party. Their loyalties are to any government in power and are expected to serve with dedication and commitment for the success of the government.

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