Notes of life

Civil Services Academy, Lahore

The Civil Services Academy Lahore (CSA) was established in 1948 for the training of new inductees to the Pakistan Administrative Services (P.A.S.) and was previously known as Pakistan Administrative Services Academy. When the Civil Service Resolution was passed and adopted as the guiding principle for the Officers of Civil Services, the Academy was renamed as Civil Services Academy and the campus was shifted from an old building on the Race Course Road to the Old Residency Estate on Mall Road. In 1963 it was decided by the then administration that not only the probationers of Civil Services of Pakistan but also the probationers of Foreign Services of Pakistan will be trained in the same campus situated on Mall Road. After the debacle of East Pakistan presently known as Bangladesh in 1971, the probationers of Police Service of Pakistan were also shifted to Civil Services Academy for their training as the Police Academy of Pakistan was located in Rajshahi in Bangladesh (the area that was no longer the part of Pakistan)

When Bhutto Government was in power, it decided to bring all the Civil Services of Pakistan under one umbrella and for this well-known Administrative Reforms were introduced in 1973.With the adoption of Administrative Reforms of 1973, it was decided to organize a Common Training Program (CTP) for fresh entrants to various Central Superior Services (renamed as Occupational Groups). As a consequence the Civil Services Academy and Finance Services Academy (FSA) were merged. The Financial Services Academy was established in 1950 having its huge campus at Walton Lahore. At that time the Academy was catering the needs of trainings for the probationers of Financial Services of Pakistan such as Pakistan Taxation Services (PTS), Pakistan Customs and Excise Services (PCES), Pakistan Military Accounts Service (PMAS), Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service (PAAS), and Pakistan Railway’s Accounts Service (PRAS). After this merger the Academy was shifted to Walton under the new name Academy for Administrative Training. However, this name was once again changed to Civil Services Academy by the President of Pakistan Mr. Zia-ul-Haq during his visit to the Academy in 1981.

Presently the Academy has one Campus at Walton (used exclusively for the Common Training Program) and another one at Mall Road (which is used for the Specialized Training Program of the District Management Group Officers).

Previously the Academy was a subordinate office / attached department of Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan but now it is an autonomous body. It now stands merged along with the four NIPAs (National Institute of Public Administration) and the PASC (Pakistan Administrative Staff College) into the National School of Public Policy (NSPP). The President of Pakistan is the Chairman of the Board of NSPP.The administration of the academy is run by a Director General who is usually a senior civil servant.

Related posts:

1. Introduction to Civil Service of Pakistan