‘Cabinet endorses new system to assess performance of senior officials’

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday approved a new system to evaluate the performance of senior government officials upon recommendations by the Civil Service Council. 

The evaluation process will be based on measurable indicators that aim to guarantee accountability and professionalism, Minister of Public Sector Development Khleef Al Khawaldeh told The Jordan Times.

Noting that the system was prepared by the ministry, Khawaldeh said it is seeks to improve the performance of civil servants who occupy leading positions such as secretaries general of ministries and directors of government agencies. 

The process of monitoring the performance of senior officials also seeks to achieve the financial goals of the government in regard to expenditure control and revenue generation, the minister added. 

Under the system, he said, by the end of every year, an evaluation will be conducted to measure the implementation of plans these officials prepared at the start of the year based on their department’s strategies.

Khawaldeh said the evaluation encompasses five main pillars: achievement and development of organisational goals; financial performance related to spending control and maximising revenues; reports of oversight entities; achievement levels of plans prepared by officials; and excellence indicators such as the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency. 

“Through this new process, the government seeks to guarantee that senior civil servants contribute to the development of their departments and that they remain in their positions according to their performance,” he noted. 

The minister said the Cabinet also approved regulations for developing organisational structures for government agencies to be in line with the 2014-2016 executive programme to develop public sector performance.