By Smita Adhikari, Pokhara, Aug 26: Targeting to hone skills of newcomers and those who are already in service in the government offices, the Gandaki Province government has been undertaking specific strategies to reach all the local bodies of the province.

Through the Gandaki Province Training Academy, the provincial government has planned to train all the officials of the local bodies by the end of the current fiscal year.

The Academy has started to work in July last year. Till now, it has trained almost 5,000 employees and people’s representatives.

"Because of the new ruling mechanism, there are confusions regarding the efficient operation of the offices locally, therefore, we are providing training to the officials and the people’s representatives too," Executive Director of the Gandaki Province Training Academy Rishiram Pandey said.

The Academy has designed a curriculum itself for the programme, which is in effect in all other six provinces.

 'Assistant Official In-Service Training Curriculum ' has been designed by Gandaki Province Training Academy and it is being taught all over Nepal as a-month long training course after the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development approved it last year.

Besides, it has a 5-day training course for the in-service officials, which is obligatory for all the local bodies to implement.

Last year, the Academy reached 60 local bodies targeting to give training. This year, it has planned to reach all local levels of the province. "We have already circulated the Training Need Assessment (TNA) letter to the local bodies requesting them to respond whether they need any training for their staff,” Pandey informed.

The training aims at changing behaviours of trainees, which is being monitored from time to time by the Academy through different research tools, he added.   

'Changing behaviour and improving performance is the major slogan of the training programme of the Gandaki Province Training Academy. The training is being given on the three major bases on the existing laws.

According to Executive Director Pandey, these days, some of the local bodies especially municipalities and rural municipalities themselves call them for conducting the training.