Transformation starts with an I․D․E․A․ – Public Service Week 2019

This year’s Public Service Week (PSW) will be held from 15 to 21 July, where 145,000 public officers in 16 Ministries and more than 60 Statutory Boards will renew their pledge to serve Singapore and Singaporeans with dedication and commitment. 

The PSW theme for 2019 is “Transformation starts with an I.D.E.A”. I.D.E.A. stands for Innovate, Digitalise, Engage, and Adapt and skill-up. Speaking about the role that public officers play in Public Sector Transformation, Head, Civil Service, Leo Yip said, “Our Public Sector Transformation efforts have picked up momentum over the past year across our ministries and agencies. As we continue on this transformation journey, I look forward to public officers across the service making their contributions to, among others, build a digital government, engage citizens better, and innovate to serve Singapore and Singaporeans better.”

Key events of PSW include: 

(i) Istana Reception, 16 July

More than 500 officers are expected to attend the event hosted by President Halimah Yacob, in recognition of their contributions. Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade & Industry and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, will be attending the reception.

(ii) Public Sector Transformation Exhibition and Conference, 17 & 18 July

This year, the Exhibition will showcase the efforts of various agencies in redesigning services and operations using a “Service Journey” approach. Service Journey is a process to help public officers understand Singaporeans’ needs and experiences in interacting with public services, and enables them to redesign and integrate services around citizens rather than around agencies.  

The Conference is themed “Redesigning Public Service Delivery: The Service Journey Approach”. It aims to inspire and encourage officers, especially those in service design and implementation roles, to rethink service delivery from the citizens’ point of view. 

(iii) Public Sector Transformation Awards Reception, 19 July

The Awards Reception is a Whole-of-Government pinnacle platform to recognise and reward public officers and public agencies for excellence in their work and organisational practices. The Awards are aligned with the focus areas of this phase of Public Sector Transformation. Minister Chan Chun Sing will be the Guest-of-Honour. 

In a video that the Public Service Division (PSD) will release on 15 July 2019 to mark this year’s PSW, Minister Chan Chun Sing rallied officers to work together as one united team, undergirded by the values of ‘Integrity’, ‘Service’ and ‘Excellence’. A paraphrased excerpt from Minister Chan’s message is extracted below for your reference.

“It is a time for us to come together to reflect on the values that define us – integrity, service and excellence. Integrity means having the courage to acknowledge where we have done well, and where else we can improve. Service is about always putting our country’s interest before ours. Excellence is not just defined by how well we do our job today, but how well we are able to anticipate and pre-empt the challenges of tomorrow. Let us work together as one united team to take our country to even greater heights.”