Master Circular on Probation-Confirmation: Period of Probation
MASTER CIRCULAR SERVICES PROBATION ON PROBATION AND CONFIRMATION CENTRAL
PROBATION
A person is appointed on probation in order to assess his suitability for absorption in the service to which he has been appointed. Probation should not, therefore, be treated as a mere formality No formal declaration shall be necessary in respect of appointment on probation. The appointing authority may declare successful completion or extend the period of probation or terminate the services of a temporary employee on probation, on the basis of evaluation or performance.
2. Probation is prescribed when there is direct recruitment, promotion from One Group to another or for officers re-employed before the age of superannuation. The probation shall stand successfully completed upon issue of orders in writing. It is, however, not desirable that a Government servant should be kept on probation for long periods.
3. Instead Of treating probation as a formality, the existing powers to discharge probationers should be systematically and vigorously used so that the necessity of dispensing with the services of employees at later stages may arise only rarely.
4. Concentration of attention on the probationer’s ability to pass the probationary or the departmental examination, if applicabh2, should be an essential part of the qualification for confirmation but there should be a very careful assessment of the outlook, character and aptitude for the kind of work that has to be done in the service before a probationer is confirmed.
5. A probationer be given an opportunity to Work under more than one officer during this period and reports of his work may be obtained from each one of those officers. The probation reports for the whole period may then be considered by a Board of senior officers for determining whether the probationer concerned is fit to be confirmed in service- For this purpose, separate forms of report should be used, which are distinct. from the usual Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) forms. The probation period reports, unlike APAR, are written to help the supervising officer to concentrate on the special needs Of probation end to decide whether the work and conduct of the officer during the period of probation or the extended period of probation are satisfactory enough to warrant his further retention in service or post- The probation period reports thus do not serve the purpose for which the APARs are written and vice versa. Therefore, m the case of all probationers or officers on probation, separate probation period reports should be written in addition to the usual APARS for the period of probation.
6. Save for exceptional reasons, probation should not be extended for more than a year and in no circumstance an employee should be kept on probation for more than double the normal period.
7. A probationer, who is not making satisfactory progress, should be informed of his shortcomings before the expiry of the original probationary period so that he can make special efforts at self-improvement. This can be done by giving a written warning to the effect that his genera] performance has not been such as to justify his confirmation and that, unless he shows substantial improvement within a specified period, the question of discharging him would have to be considered. Even though this is not required by the rules, discharge from the service being a severe, final and irrevocable step, the probationer should be given an opportunity before taking the drastic step of discharge.
8. During the period of probation, or any extension thereof, candidates may be required by the Government to undergo such courses of training and instructions and to pass examinations, and tests (including examination in Hindi) as the Government may deem fit, as a condition for the satisfactory completion of probation.
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