|
Second IPS Foundation Training Course
Mr. Abdul Muktadir Chowdhury,
Additional Secretary (Law) and NPD
of the Project with the particepants of the course
Following the First Foundation Training
(13 August - 11 September), Mr. Azizul Haq, Training
Consultant of the SPD Project, prepared a report
highlighting some key lessons learned from the
experience. Based on the observations on trainees'
participation, their evaluation on guest speakers and
other components of training, and the IPS' own
evaluation on trainees' performance, the Second
Foundation Training Programme for Parliamentary Staff
has been designed, with some changes in training
modules, format and evaluation process. The Second
Course, which begun on 5 October, was designed with 11
modules and two group discussions to be delivered over
25 training days. Twenty five participants (including
six women) and 13 guest lecturers have joined this phase
of training, which is scheduled to be completed with a
written examination on 9 November. The key modules of
the Course include Constitutional Framework, Organs of
the Government, Office of the Speaker, Rules of
Procedure, Financial Functions of the Parliament,
Oversight Functions of the Parliament, Diplomatic
Functions of the Parliament, Representative Functions of
the Parliament, Legislative Functions of the Parliament,
and Gender Issues in parliament. As stated in the
opening speech of Mr. Abdul Muktadir Choudhury, the
National Project Director, there is a strong need for
such training in the career of the Parliamentary Staff,
particularly in improving the understanding of Rules of
Procedure. It also provides a means for secretariat
officers to develop skills in participatory methods of
learning through interaction with one another, as well
as with the guest speakers, including senior Members of
Parliament, Secretariat Officials, and top academicians.
Computer Training in the IPS
On 14 May 2000, a pilot computer training programme
was initiated by the IPS, following the completion of a
needs assessment. The assessment had identified a strong
desire by both parliamentarians and officials to enhance
computer skills in a number of different areas. Courses
for Hon. Members as well as Secretariat Staff and
Officials have been conducted in the Computer Training
Centre of the IPS, which was established in April of
this year.
The pilot training programme has now
been completed and an evaluation of the final results
has been submitted to the relevant parliamentary
authorities for review. The evaluation reveals that 48
Hon. Members of Parliament has undertaken training in
the Centre and, in addition, the Hon. Speaker has
undertaken individual training in his Chamber. Training
for Hon. Members has been offered on a flexible and
individualised basis, due to their time constraints. For
the Secretariat Staff and Officials, structured three
week courses have been provided and a total of 122
individuals have now been trained. The course also
included a final exam and the results will be recorded
in the personnel files of the individuals. The training
has focused on functional use of the computer, involving
a hands-on approach utilising a multi-media environment.
As the computer training centre is fully-networked with
the LIC, it also benefits from 24-hour access to the
internet through the dedicated access line of the
Bangladesh Parliament.
In addition to the examination of the
trainees, the trainees were also given an opportunity to
evaluate the course on completion. From the results of
the evaluation for, it was evident that the course
contents were considered interesting and understandable
to most trainees, although some trainees believed that
the time allowed for the course was too limited for the
number of subjects covered. The teaching methods,
together with the use of the multimedia presentations,
were highly regarded by the participants, as was the
ratio between the theoretical training and the hands-on
training.
Based on the results of the pilot
training programme, the parliament authorities have
approved the extension of the training courses for a
further period. Together with the continuation of the
basic training course, an advanced course will be added
to accommodate those persons who wish to advance their
computer skills. In addition, in order to ensure the
sustainability of the training centre and the effective
maintenance of the new computer equipment gradually
being installed in the Parliament, a number of new
courses will be added. This will include:
- Specialised course on computer hardware and
software – orientation, installation and
trouble-shooting
- Specialised course on creating and maintaining
websites
- Long-term course on training of trainers
It is expected that, following the
next period of course, the computer training centre will
be able to be managed and operated by staff of the
Parliament Secretariat, thereby ensuring its
sustainability and permanence within the Bangladesh
Parliament.
Change in Date of
International Conference on the Bangladesh Parliament
The October edition of the IPS
Newsletter reported on the international conference on The
Bangladesh Parliament in the 21st Century. Due
to unavoidable circumstances, the date for this
Conference has now been postponed until 03 February
2000. The venue will be the Hotel Sheraton. The one-day
Conference will be addressed by prominent
parliamentarians, scholars and practitioners from around
the world who will focus on various issues related to
the representative, legislative and oversight functions
of Parliament. All Hon. MPs will be invited to attend
the conference.
IPS Monograph on
Parliamentary
Control over Public Spending in Bangladesh
Professor Nizam Uddin Ahmed of
Chittagong University has prepared the draft monograph
on Parliament and Public Spending in Bangladesh -
Limits of Control. The author deserves commendation
for this in-depth and analytical research work. It
provides detail description of current parliamentary
practice in budget-making and public expenditure and
identifies limits of parliamentary control over budget,
expenditure and other public financial matters. In this
constructive book, the author observes the restructuring
of the composition of committees (i.e. MP replacing
Minister as Chairmen of Standing Committees on
Ministries) as a way of empowering parliamentary
democracy. The study recognizes the accomplishments of
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as an impact of the
reform as well as an example of committed parliamentary
leadership. It makes in-depth analysis of the
constraints and institutional weaknesses of
parliamentary committees in discharging their
responsibilities, particularly in scrutinizing public
expenditure. Finally, the report underscores the need
for further reform and change in making parliamentary
oversight of public expenditure sustained and effective.
Amendment to the Rules of Procedure, capacity-building
of committees, procedural changes in regard to budgeting
and expenditure control, institution building (e.g.
creation of an independent audit department), and
co-ordination in committee functioning are the key
strategic recommendations.
Prof. Ahmed has proficiently dealt
with the issue both theoretically and empirically,
measured the degree of weaknesses and constraints in the
parliamentary control system, and suggested action
points to improve it to make public spending in
Bangladesh efficient, accountable and transparent. This
monograph will enrich the resource base of IPS.
MP E-Mail Accounts
The IPS newsletter reported in its
third issue the letter of the Hon. Speaker to all Hon.
Members, communicating the set-up of individual e-mail
accounts for each of the 330 parliamentarians. After a
test period, the "Strengthening Parliamentary
Democracy" project with the technical support of a
well-renown Bangladeshi ISP, has developed the e-mail
accounts as a web-mail. This means that the e-mail
accounts are accessible by Hon. Members from any place
in the world connected via Internet. Parliament e-mail
accounts are accessed through the Legislative
Information Centre (LIC) Website ( www.bangladeshofparliament.org).
On opening the LIC Website, Hon. Members have the option
to click on the following symbol: "check
e-mail" Hon. Members will
then observe the following message:
Web
E-Mail
(parliamentofbangladesh.org)
Click
here to return home.
Upon entering his or her User ID and
the Password, the Hon. Member will input his or her
individual and confidential e-mail site, where messages
can be sent, received, deleted and stored. The LIC has
provided a free internet service for Hon. Members, which
can be accessed at the Computer User’s Centre or by
using the dedicated computers for Members of Parliament
in the Member’s Reading Room. If any Hon. Member
requires further information or guidance on using their
e-mail account, they are requested to please call the
Institute of Parliamentary Studies for assistance.
Change in MPs e-mail
addresses
Three Hon. Members have changed their
E-mail address after the set-up of their respective
accounts. The new addresses are:
Hon. Shawkat Ali, MP
Ali.MP@parliamentofbangladesh.org
Hon. Mr. Panchanan Biswas, MP:
Panchanan.MP@parliamentofbangladesh.org
Hon. Shah M. Abul Hussain, MP:
Hussain.MP@parliamentofbangladesh.org
Interview with Dr. Irene Wilson,
Senior Governance Officer, Department for International
Development of the British Government
"Making Government Work For Poor People is our
Strategy"
IPS: You recently met with
the Hon. Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament to propose
some ideas for cooperation between DFID and the
Parliament. What were the main aspects of this proposal?
Irene Wilson: We presented a
proposal from DFID via the UNDP Project in Parliament to
contribute with additional funding to the development of
some of the project’s components, which have yet to be
developed. We suggested to the Hon. Speaker to focus our
support on the role and functions of the Parliamentary
Committees, specifically the Finance Committees which
are also connected to our Financial Reform Projects. We
proposed to add funding, staffing, training facilities
and technical support in the light of being from the
country where the Westminster model of Parliament was
born, something that could make our contribution
mutually beneficial
IPS: Why has DFID
specifically chosen the Parliament as a focus of
development cooperation?
Irene Wilson: Because of
Parliament’s significance in terms of influencing the
governance debate, more especially, by promoting good
governance not only as a governmental practice, but as a
permanent exercise of listening to the demands of the
civil society. We would like to approach our governance
contributions by placing the supply and the demands
together. For DFID, the governance sector is a major
platform of overall assistance. "Making Government
Work For Poor People" is our strategy.
IPS: What are the main
areas of DFID’s development cooperation in the
governance area?
Irene Wilson: I have already
mentioned the financial reforms sector. Added to that, I
would like to mention Accountability and Transparency of
Government, Political Systems to operate to provide
equal opportunities for all people, including the poor
and the disadvantaged, to organise and influence the
State policy and practice, Macroeconomic Stability,
Eradication of Poverty, Access to Justice for all,
Management of National Security and Resolution of
Differences between Communities.
IPS: As you are aware, the
Westminster tradition has a strong influence on the
parliamentary system in Bangladesh. Which of the main
features of the House of Commons do you recognise in the
Bangladesh Parliament.
Irene Wilson: In first place,
I see great similarities in the election system, as both
are geographically based seat systems where the
principle "First Past the Post" is applied. In
second place, both systems give great importance to the
Committees in the Parliamentary System and the role of
the individuals in the business of the House, especially
the Hon. Speaker and the Chairpersons of Committees, but
also the individual Members, is vital to the good
functioning of Parliament. And probably, even if we do
not have a legal constitution, we share a legal
tradition based on the jurisprudence and legal
precedents.
If
you want to contact the IPS Newsletter, please write to:
Please
write to:
Board
of Editors
(Headed by NPD)
Institute of Parliamentary Studies
Jatiya Sangsad
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207
Fax: 8124126 - Tel: 8124127
E-mail: kendra@bol-online.com
|
