School principal from Sindh wins most honest civil servant award

Daryan Khatoon Memon, the principal of the Government Girls Lower Secondary School in Sukkur, has been voted as the most honest civil servant of Pakistan at the Integrity Icon of Pakistan Award Ceremony 2020.

This campaign annually recognises government officials from across the country for their integrity and honesty. In its fifth consecutive yearly ceremony, more than 100 nominations were screened and vetted by a jury comprising credible professionals from the civil services, academia and civil society of Pakistan.

Following the process, thousands of Pakistanis also voted online or participated via SMS as part of the campaign, and several thousand people also watched the ceremony held in

Islamabad through social media platforms.

Zulfiqar Younus, director of the Civil Services Academy in Lahore, while appreciating the event, said it had become a popular award among public servants across the country. Such efforts would encourage civil servants to bring quality to their service for the wellbeing of citizens, pushing back corruption and advocating better governance in their provinces, he added.

“During this year’s campaign, we saw incredible energy from Pakistani citizens, who have truly shown that they support and want to celebrate honest leaders,” noted Fayyaz Yaseen, director of programmes for Accountability Lab Pakistan.

“Let’s move away from naming and shaming and towards naming and faming those who uphold the Pakistani values of honesty, integrity and accountability.”

Speaking to the audience, Thomas Seiler, deputy head of the EU Delegation in Pakistan, said: “Today, we honour Pakistani public servants who stand for integrity and honest execution of their jobs. Their professional attitude is in the ultimate interest of each and every Pakistani citizen. The EU always supports public service reforms based on improved accountability mechanisms, including for better public finance management.”

Lis Rosenholm, ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan, said, “I am honoured to be part of this Integrity Icon Pakistan movement that is enabling the creation of role-models and celebrating honest public officials. Lack of integrity in any sector will only lead to corruption and inequality! Denmark has been number 1 in the Corruptions Perceptions Index as the least corrupt country in the world. This is due to a strong culture of public administration – it is the hard work of public sector and oversight bodies that hold the government to account when it is needed.”

She further said: “Denmark also has a public sector that is transparent and well-organised, and operates without bribery, which eventually translates into a safe and stable environment for both people and businesses. I hope these civic and moral campaigns give rise to a corruption-free Pakistan.”

The event was organised by the Civil Services Academy in collaboration with the Accountability Lab Pakistan’s Accountable Leadership Programme.

At present, more than 270 young bureaucrats have been trained. They have been equipped with tools and skills to understand the dynamics of accountability and transparency in their soon-to-be-assumed role as young bureaucrats.

Also, Amna Baig, ASP at Frontier Constabulary Lines in Islamabad; Mukhtar Paras, director general of the Secretariat Training Institute in Islamabad; Tariq Javed Mengal, deputy commissioner in Qila Abdullah, Balochistan; and Azhar Ali, chief conservator of the Forests in

the Forest Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were given awards in their respective categories in recognition of their work excellence, integrity and honesty.

Talking with The News, Daryan said that when she assumed charge as principal of the GGLSS, there were 65 girls enrolled at the school.

Of them, from 15 to 20 girls, would attend their regular classes while the rest of the girls would remain absent. The reason was that some basic facilities were not provided, and even there was no furniture, clean drinking water and proper washrooms, she added.

“However, I accepted the challenge and discussed the problems with the community rather than going to file complaints at government offices. A few months after a door- to-door campaign for enrollment, the number of students increased to hundreds. At present, we have 360 students,” she said.

To enhance the infrastructure, Daryan also contributed her salary to renovate the school. “I collected donations from the community and carefully spend the money on renovation, purchased furniture and also installed other missing facilities at the schools. Today, the GGLSS is one of the best state-run schools for girls in Sukkur.”

She was of the view that ownership and responsibility put things in the right direction. “I just followed this simple rule and the result is in front of everyone. We now hardly rely on the government budget.”

In the past, Daryan has won three district-level awards, and former education minister Sardar Shah has also given a provincial level award to her for best services in the education department.

“I feel proud that I have won a national-level award. I need nothing but a little appreciation and acknowledgment. This would encourage me to work harder with more responsibility.”