The Roles and Position of Confidential Secretaries in the Civil Service

AN APPRAISAL OF THE ROLES AND POSITION OF CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARIES IN THE CIVIL SERVICE OF ANAMBRA STATE PROBLEMS AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

An appraisal of the roles and positions of confidential service of Anambra state, problems and strategies for improvement. In this chapter relevant to the present study were reviewed. The review was presented under the following heading.

  1. Cadre of confidential secretaries attached to the office in the civil service.
  2. Problems of secretaries and strategies improvement.
  3. Change in nomenclature of secretaries as implemented by presidential. Task force on civil service reforms Ref: PTF/CSR/SS/VOL.111/078 of 18th August 1988, which were signed by vice admiral Koshonu chief of Naval staff and chairman of the presidential task force.
  4. Entry qualification into confidential position in Anambra State civil service.
  5. Classification of confidential secretaries in the civil service.
  6. Summary

 CADRE OF CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARIES ATTACHED TO THE OFFICE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE

The cadre of confidential secretaries attached to work with offices in the civil service of Anambra State depends on the grade level of the officer concerned.

A more qualified secretary is normally posted to serve a high rank officer. The attachment of confidential secretaries to office as changed in 1988.

In a circular letter from the office of the head of civil service of the federation Ref. OHCS/45/113 dated 19that March, 1985 address to

The inspector general of police

All Federal permanent secretaries and head of extra ministerial department.

The executive secretary national university commission.

All Director of administration University Teaching Hospital captioned.

 MODIFICATION TO THE ATTACHMENT SCHEDULE OR SECRETARIAL STAFF

In order to reflect the current nomenclature of government functionaries and to include the attachment of confidential secretary IV in grade level 05, at the federal level, the national council on establishment has approved that attachment schedule indicated in this office circular No US/A/11/053 of 13th June 1983 should be amended as follows.

Grades of secretaries attached to officers in federal level

POSITION TO BE SERVED LEVEL OF SECRETARIAL STAFF
Secretary to be federal military government and head of the civil service of the federal ministries.  
Head of the federal military of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces and justice of the federation Principal, bilingual secretary, principal personal secretary

 

President of the count of appeal  
Chief judge of the federal high court Senior personal secondary senior bilingual grade level 12.
Chairman of the industrial arbitration panel and permanent secretary

 

 
President on the national industrial court  
Justice of the  supreme court inspector general of police chairman of the federal civil commission  
All other post on grade level 16 and grade level 17 Personal secretary/Bilingual secretary grade level 10
Post on GL 15 whose schedule of duties requires the service of secretaries. Personal secretary 11/ Bilingual secretary 111/ Grade Level 09.
 Post on GL 10 whose schedule of duties requires the services of confidential secretaries Confidential secretary IV grade level IV 05.
Post on GL 12 whose duties requires service of confidential secretaries. Confidential secretary Grade 111 06.
Post on GL 13 whose schedules of duties require the service  of confidential secretaries Confidential secretary II

Bilingual secretary

Grade level 07

Grade of secretaries attached to officer in the state ministries

POSITION TO BE SERVED LEVEL OF SECRETARY STAFF
Post in GL 15 whose schedule of duties requires the service of secretaries Personal secretary

II Bilingual Secretary III Grade level 09

Post on GL 14 whose duties require the service of confidential secretaries Confidential secretary 1/ Bilingual secretary 08

III Grade level 05.

Post on GL 10 whose schedule on duties required  the service of confidential secretaries Confidential secretary

IV Grade level 05

Post on GL 13 whose schedules of duties requires the service of confidential secretary Bilingual secretary

1 Grade level 06

 

Grade of Secretaries Attached To Office In The State Ministries

POSITION TO BE SERVED LEVEL OF SECRETARIES
Customary court of appeal commissioners Secretary. eve 13
Grand khadi president of the military governor. chief judge, judge of the high courts Secretary/principal

Bilingual. principal personal senior secretary

Senior Bilingual

Secretary Grade 12

Chairman, civil service commission secretary to the military government and head service permanent secretaries Personal secretary, /Bilingual secretary level 10.
Officer on GL 15 whose schedule of duties require the service of confidential secretaries Personal secretary III/ Bilingual secretary II grade level 09
Head of non ministerial department and chief executive of statutory board sand corporation on GL 16 and above.  

STATE LEVEL

POSITION TO SERVED LEVEL OF SECRETARIES
Post on GL 10 whose schedules of duties required the service of confidential secretaries. Confidential secretary

III GL 05

Office on GL 12 whose schedules of duties require the service of confidential secretaries Confidential secretary 06.
Officer on GL 14 whose schedules of duties the service of confidential secretaries. Confidential secretary/ Bilingual secretary IV/Bilingual secretary

III Grade level 08

Officer on GL 13 schedules of duties require the service of confidential secretaries Confidential secretary IV/Bilingual secretary IV Grade level 07.

 

Changes in nomenclature of officers in secretarial cadre adopted by presidential task force on implementation of civil service reforms:

Recently viceadmiral keshni, chairman and precious task force of implementation of civic service reforms issued a new circular to add ministries. The circular, which was dated 18th August 1988, incorporated.

The New Functional Titles For Office Ikn Cadre”.

The contents of circular which were still enforce specific as follows:-

“Further to sector III, such section 15 page II of the implementation guidelines on the civil service reforms”

I wish to inform you that officers in the secretaries cadre should with immediate effects, assumes the “new function titles specified below”.

Old Title                            New Function GL

Prin. personal/prinBil              Chief x assistant 13 secretary

Snr. personal/Snr. Bil             Principal x assistant 12 secretary

Personal sec. 1/Bilingual        Principal x assistant 10

Sec. 1

personal Se II/Bili. Sec. II        Principal x assistant. III 08

Confidential sec. II/senior       Principal x assistant 07

typist

Confidential Sec. II/typt          Secretarial x assistant 06

Grd 1

Confidential Sec. IV/typt         Secretarial x assistant

GRD II

It should be noted that “X” in the above schedule indicates the area of specialization of department of the civil servant concerned. It is the view of the circular that all staff on secretarial cadre be moved literally into the relevant “office” level in the ministry depending on the additional qualification and specialization.

 

ENTRY QUALIFICATION INTO THE CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARIES POSITION IN THE ANAMBRA STATE CIVIL SERVICE

The qualifying certificates or entry qualification into the secretarial position is common in even ministry/civil services of the federation. The head of civil service officially prescribed the London pitman certification in 1987. In a statement issued to this effect, the rejection or cancellation of the certificate arose because it was a nonresidential examination, conducted by a foreign body. Secretary staff that possessed the certificate was adverse to seek for better secretarial certificate.

Qualification For Secretarial Position

Employers when recruiting secretarial personnel in the civil service usually demand the following qualifications.

  Secretarial position   Qualification demand
1 Chief secretary assistant GL 15 occupied by promotion   With shorthand and typing speed of 120/60 words or HND/B.SC Sec. studies awarded by a recognized institution.
2 Principal secretary  I, II, III, GL,12, 10,09   Same as above
3 Principal secretarial assistant IV GL 08   120/60 Wpm or good national Diploma
4 Senior secretarial   100/50 WPM or ETC Certificate RSA, NSE etc with speed less than 100/50 WPM.
5 Secretarial assistant GL 06, secretarial assistant II   80/35 WPM or possession of typing seed of 10 WPM

 

PROBLEMS OF SECRETARIES AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

  • Lack of well defined supervision teaching.
  • Ineffective performance appraisal
  • Poor communication including the absence of report
  • A poor promotional prospect for the secretary (secretary) is not motivated by way of promotion.
  • Lack of basic office equipment like typewriter photocopying machine, computer etc.
  • Environmental conditions poor illumination noise temperature and arbitrary and uncoordinated to areas of need.

The work of secretary requires the use of modern equipment such as telephone, typewriter, duplicating machines, computer work processor good furniture to mention only but a few.

Unfortunately, may secretaries work with equipment while many works with faulty one is usually very poor. The need for good equipped emphasized by Geoffrey witched when he said, “a top secretary must have a top quality typewriter if his correspondence is to be well presented.

Immediately a letter is typed and signed, it represents the company to the reader. Beside, the major items of equipment a secretary should be supplied with a wide variety of office aids appropriate to the work she performs.

Furthermore, the problem, lack of equipment and facilities, the No availability of certain vital equipment and supplies of secretaries. It is disheartening  to note that this present time of electrical era, many secretaries still wok without s single electric typewriter, photocopying machines, duplicating machines, scanning machines, not to talk of a word processor or computer. But the absence of all these equipment to secretaries constitutes a serious constraint to effective work performance.

One Comment on “The Roles and Position of Confidential Secretaries in the Civil Service”

  1. What is the grade level of the chief confidential secretary in the federal ministry e.g Education.

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