I recently had a refreshing break from work - well, I attended a course held at the Civil Service College (CSC). As with most such courses, there was a good representation of participants from a number of ministries, statutory boards, and even officers seconded to the private sector; all doing varied jobs ranging from veterinary science to training soldiers to managing Newater factories. Over lunches and tea-breaks (another unique characteristic about CSC courses) we had (mostly) friendly discussions about the quirks of the Public Service and various agencies, traded jokes about Public Officers and bureaucracy and had our misconceptions about policies and laws debunked by various members of the class.

The lectures and speakers were something else altogether and my greatest takeaway was seeing how all our different portfolios fitted together to attain the common goals of the Public Service. Truth of the matter is, most of our working hours are spent focused on routine tasks and 'firefighting'. It is inevitable that we sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture, or the rationale behind why we do certain things. And so the course gave me some perspective, and served as a good reminder as to why I toil away for nine hours each day.

One of the lectures which stood out touched on World•Singapore. It was the first time that many had heard of this new growth strategy, and there were many questions about its foci, feasibility and implications for the Public Service and Singapore. These are questions that the Head of Civil Service, Mr Peter Ho, answers in this month's exclusive interview to kick-start a series of World•Singapore articles. In the coming months, Challenge will cast the spotlight on the different action teams in World•Singapore and the work they have done so far.

Elsewhere in this issue, we feature the third installment of the highly popular MOP series and explore the issue from another perspective - that of long-suffering service providers. Read on to find out about the trials and tribulations they face in dealing with difficult customers and unreasonable demands. No wonder so many online portals have been set up - to cut red tape and as a more efficient means of meeting the public's needs!

Now, another important aspect of World•Singapore is the necessity for ministries to come together and work in inter-agency teams. And working together as One Government is likely to be the way forward in the Public Service as well. Well, if my course is anything to go by, it served as a great opportunity to interact and learn from other Public Officers, and I am happy to report that inter-agency networks are alive and well (at least when it comes to recreational activities!). Now that's another good thing about these CSC courses…