A number of activities are set to take place during the months of July and December, leading up to Public Service Day on December 9, 2022.
Public Service Day is a biennial event. However, celebrations for the past two years were hampered by covid-19. Public Service Day was last celebrated in 2018 because of the pandemic.
At the launching ceremony on Friday, July 15, Chief Personnel Officer, Edith Thomas Roberts, said she believes now that the restrictions have been reduced, it is an opportune time to celebrate public officers.
She went on to say that in celebrating Public Service Day 2022, the government is mindful to encourage continued comradery among public officers through the many activities planned by the committee to take place during the months leading up to Public Service Day.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Our Public Service: Healthy, Innovative, and Resilient.”
“These activities include today’s official launching, a beautification project [in which] we’ll have tree planting done by individual ministries In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernization, and Kalinago Upliftment. We also have a t-shirt day. Following today’s launch, t-shirts depicting the public service logo and theme will be worn every other Friday leading up to Public Service Day”
Roberts said health and wellness programs and sports including football competitions will also be hosted as well as a Family Fun Day which is geared at creating an environment where public officers can bring their families for an afternoon of fun and entertainment. The event will culminate with a movie at 6 pm.
“A treasure hunt will also be hosted to encourage fellowship and fun among citizens. Tokens will be hidden and clues will be placed in various ministries and government offices,” she stated.
A thanksgiving service will be held on December 5, 2022. The activity will climax with the awards and recognition ceremony on Friday, December 9, 2022, and will be in honor and recognition of retirees, as well as public officers who have excelled in various categories.
Awards will be given in the following categories: ‘Jerry Augustine Award’ to be awarded to an outstanding attendant or messenger, ‘Temporary Officer Award’ to be awarded to the most outstanding temporary officer, ‘Junior Officer Award’ for officers operating from Level 1 to 4, ‘Senior Officer Award’ for most outstanding senior officers from Level 5 to 8.
Other awards include ‘Middle Manager Award’, ‘Senior Manager Award’, ‘Team Award’, ‘Service Delivery Award’, ‘Chief Personnel Officer Award’, ‘Minster of the Public Service Award’, and the Prime Minister’s Public Officer of the Year Award.
Robert stated that over the years the resilience of public officers has been greatly tested, not only from the ravages of storms and hurricanes but also from the ongoing battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said the reaction to this crisis led to innovative, resilient, and adaptive accomplishments at all levels within the service.
“Cooperation and support among public offices in ensuring effective delivery of service [were] also enhanced. These…accomplishments among others must be celebrated,” she stated.
Everyday should be Public Service Day. Designating two days per year to give publicity to civic work is grossly insufficient. It’s like feeding the needy for just two of the 365 days of the year, and having a grand fanflare about it.
We should have a well defined civic curriculum in all schools and have students literally practise acts of love and caring for country, fellpw citizens and the natural environment. Dominicans lack patriotism. Everything is all about me, myself and I as the narcissistic buffoon in the prime minister’s office demonstrates every day.
The ruling regime has long lost its way. it’s like Satan trying to teach a people about truth and morality.