PRESS RELEASE

Office of the Public Service Commission Celebrates the Resounding Success of the 2024 Public Service Day

PORT VILA, 06^th September 2024. The Office of the Public Service is thrilled to announce the tremendous success of its recent event, 2024 Public Service Day, held from August 28^th to August 30^th at the Convention Center in Port Vila. The event, which brought together public servants and the public at large was a resounding success, marked by huge turnout of attendance both at the event site and online through social media platforms.

The 2024 PS Day featured a diverse program ranging from booth exhibitions, school debate, Public Service Forum and Awards ceremony, which captivated attendees and sparked engaging conversations specifically between children, parents and the public at large with civil servants from all Government line agencies present during the 2024 PS Day event. Highlights included:

• Public Service Forum: Director Generals of the 13 Government ministries presented their agencies achievements in the past five (5) years embracing the PS Day theme ‘Strengthened Government Decentralized Services through Innovative Approach’ and what are current strategies and innovative approach that are in place for the next 3-4 years. All presentations were streamlined that allowed engagement from viewers in the provinces as well.
• Presidential Award Ceremony: A total of 118 long-term serving public servants were awarded a presidential medal for ‘General Service’ for more than 25 years in the public sector by the Head of State, His Excellency Nikenike Vurobaravu. These awardees were recognized for their hard work, dedication, commitment and the sacrifices they made during their tenure under the Public Service Commission.
• PSC Awards: The PSC has also given awards to Best Performed Staff, Best Float Parade, Best Booth Display and for the first time, the Organizational award. The Organizational award was judged based on Ministries Annual Report for the year 2023.
• School Visits to Government Ministries: A school visit was organized for the first time as part of events leading up to the 2024 PS Day. This program was initiated as part of the Career Day program giving the students firsthand experience of the daily operations of a government department. Schools with senior cycles were part of this school visit and the schedule was made according to the preferences expressed by these schools regarding their areas of interest and availability at that time. The school visit was a success with detailed coordination by the Shefa Education Office and VIPAM.

In essence, a special highlight of the event featured appointment of internship for 62 students for placement in the ministry or department of their field of study facilitated by the office of the Vanuatu Institute of Public Administration and Management. In his address to the interns, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Mr. Martin Mahe reiterated the vision of the PSC is to ensure a robust government workforce that aspires to further improve and strengthens government service delivery at the provincial and national through its human resources.

“Through this initiative, we are guiding our younger generation towards their dream jobs that are also aligned to address the skills gap identified in the development progress of the country. We also assure these students that job opportunities in the public sector or private sector are guaranteed through the OPSC’s Succession Program,” he said.

In addition, the PSC made three (3) direct appointments of interns to permanent positions during the PS Day event.

The 2024 PS Day event was hosted in all the provinces with similar programs held concurrently to celebrate the public servants who are serving in the provincial headquarters as well as on the remote islands. PS Day 2024 provincial committees were mobilized with the coordination of OPSC’s Senior Human Resources officers on the ground and assistance of respective Provincial Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) which purposely discerned success throughout all the provincial PS Day celebrations.

 Attendees at the event had the opportunity to access government services at a ‘one stop shop’ at the event site, participated in the Panel forum as a vital component of the PS Day program, indulge in various networking opportunities and students were involved in career pathway activities. The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the event’s organization, content quality and the networking opportunities that took place within a span of two and a half days.

The Chairman of the 2024 PS Day organizing committee, Mr. Ini Tabiaga acknowledged every person behind the success of the PS Day celebration.

“A huge shoutout to our incredible Senior Executives Officers for sharing their wisdom and insights. Your expertise has left a lasting impact on all of us towards implementing the celebrated theme and on-going focus on innovative programs, your line agencies financial contributions have been invaluable in making this event a success. Thank you for believing in our mission and contributing to its realization,” Mr. Tabiaga said.

“To our dedicated team of organizers both PS Day committee members, line agencies committees and provincial committees, you've worked tirelessly to ensure every detail was perfect. Your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed, and we're grateful for everything you've done to bring this event to life.”

In his official closing remarks, PSC Chairman, Mr. Martin Mahe emphasized that this collaboration between the government through its line agencies, the private sector and the public must continue to ensure optimal enhancement of service delivery through the leadership of all Government Senior Officers and all public servants serving in the public sector.

“With a united government workforce, we will work together to bolster a strong forefront to address all challenges and improve livelihoods of the citizens of this country for a better tomorrow,” he said.

Mr. Mahe reminded all new interns and appointed public servants of the ‘dream of a parent’ that will only come into ‘reality’ through a public servant.

‘Dreams of a parent for his child to work in the different sectors can only happen through the workers both in the private and public sector’ he said.

‘We must renew our loyalty to the State, to the citizens of this country and not always forgetting our allegiance to the people of Vanuatu.”

The OPSC extends its heartfelt gratitude to all sponsors, partners, speakers of the panel forum, the schools who participated in the school debate, all public servants and the public at large who contributed to the success of 2024 Public Service Day. Their support and enthusiasm were instrumental in making the event a memorable and impactful experience.

Looking ahead, the OPSC is excited to continue building the momentum from the 2024 Public Service Day and looks forward to future collaborations.