By Lamin B. Darboe
The Minister of Public Service (MoPS) last week, conducted an unannounced visit to the Ministry of Defense as part of an ongoing assessment of Government institutions to determine the functionality and compliance of Biometric Time Attendance systems.
During the visit, the Minister and his delegation expressed concern over the print-out format of the Ministry’s Biometric Attendance records, describing it as insufficient and unclear for administrative use.
“The way the Biometric Time Attendance records are printed makes it difficult for your administration to interpret. You need to provide a summarized and user-friendly version so that your Permanent Secretary and others can easily understand it. As it stands, it is not easy for a layperson to make sense of the print-out,” Minister Bouy advised the Ministry’s IT Officer.
Minister Bouy further explained that the purpose of the visit was not to witch-hunt staff, but rather to assess firsthand how the Biometric Time Attendance system is functioning within the Ministry of Defense. He emphasized that the inspection aimed to familiarize the Public Service Ministry with the operational environment of the system installed by his ministry.
Deputy Permanent Secretary Manding Saidykhan and Senior Assistant Secretary Jesse J. Dacosta welcomed the Minister and his team, assuring them of the Ministry’s full cooperation. They pledged to support their IT Unit to ensure the Biometric Attendance system functions effectively and that staff comply consistently with its use.
Minister Bouy was accompanied by his Permanent Secretaries, Mr. Pateh Jah and Mr. Sehriff Jallow; Deputy Permanent Secretary at PMO, Mr. Mustapha Nyabally; and the Director of the Performance Management Directorate at PMO, Mr. Essa Marong.
