WAEC Government 2012 Theory — Question 5

Model answer

(a) The civil service is the agency of the government that is saddled with the responsibility of implementing the policies and programmes of the government. It belongs to the executive arm of the government. (b) The structure of the civil service can be classified as follows: I. Administrative class: This is the highest class in the civil service. It comprises the most senior civil servants who organise and coordinate the activities of the ministries. Members of this class also advise the government on the formulation of policies. II. Executive Class: The executive class implements the general policies and procedure of the government and is responsible for the day to day administration of the civil service. III. Professional class: The professional class is made up of officers with specialized training and technical knowledge. The members of the professional class include surveyors, architect, teachers, doctors, engineers, etc. IV. Clerical class: The clerical class is responsible for the keeping of records, movement of files, preparation of data and vouchers in the civil service. Members of the class include typist, secretary, clerical officers etc. V. The auxiliary class: The category of workers in this class are drivers, messengers, cleaners and manual labours. This is the lowest class in the structure of civil service.