LAHORE: In a significant step towards institutional reform and governance enhancement, the Civil Services Academy (CSA) Lahore in collaboration with the Health Services Academy (HSA), Islamabad, formally launched the Integrated Professional Development Manual for Academic Group incharges at a ceremony held at the Health Services Academy on Thursday.
The event was attended by Director General, Civil Services Academy, Mr Farhan Aziz Khawaja, the Vice Chancellor, Health Services Academy, senior representatives of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, and the Establishment Division. Senior faculty members and administrative officials from both institutions were also present.
The newly developed manual constitutes a comprehensive reform initiative aimed at strengthening professionalism, governance standards and ethical consistency within the Common Training Programme (CTP) — the foundational training of probationary officers entering Pakistan’s civil services. The document has been specifically designed for Academic Group Charges and faculty members, who function as the primary supervisory and mentoring authorities for probationers during their formative training phase at the Academy.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Director General CSA described the manual as a structured evidence based and development oriented framework that redefines the supervisory role of Academic Group In-Charges. He noted that the traditional model of administrative oversight has been consciously reframed into a system of professional stewardship, emphasising long-term attitudinal, behavioural and ethical development alongside academic performance.
Developed through close collaboration with the Health Services Academy, the manual integrates systematic screening and assessment mechanisms for both faculty members and probationary officers. Central to the framework are two complementary tools: HSA’s professional assessment framework and the E-Orbit digital platform. Together, these instruments facilitate the collection of baseline socio-psychological, behavioural and personality data of probationers at the outset of training.
This data-driven approach enables Academic Group In-Charges to engage with probationary officers through structured, objective and ethically grounded mentoring processes. The system is designed to ensure that developmental interventions are evidence based rather than anecdotal, while maintaining institutional safeguards and transparency.
According to officials, the principal objectives of the manual include the establishment of clear professional boundaries and accountability standards for faculty and Group In-Charges; early identification of behavioural, ethical and developmental risks, institutionalisation of evidence-based mentoring and evaluation practices, promotion of attitudinal refinement, emotional regulation, ethical judgement and institutional loyalty among probationary officers and the reinforcement of consistency, transparency and institutional protection in training governance.
Addressing the gathering, the Vice Chancellor Health Services Academy emphasised the importance of integrating psychological wellbeing, ethical clarity and professional discipline into public service training. He highlighted that modern governance demands officers who are not only administratively competent but also emotionally resilient and ethically grounded. He reaffirmed HSA’s commitment to sustained collaboration with the Civil Services Academy to strengthen professional formation and institutional resilience across the civil services framework.
Representatives of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and the Establishment Division commended the initiative as a forward looking and structurally sound intervention in civil service training. They observed that the introduction of a codified, transparent and assessment based supervisory framework would help reinforce merit, professionalism and accountability within the training ecosystem. Such structured mechanisms they noted are critical for preparing officers capable of exercising authority with restraint, fairness and responsibility in dynamic and complex governance settings.
