VietNamNet Bridge – Ha Noi plans to pilot a test-based recruitment for some high civil servant positions this year under the city's target programme of administrative reform until 2015.

This follows a city decision to lure talented persons in efforts to improve the quality of civil servants.

Speaking at a meeting on Monday, director of the municipal Department of Home Affairs Tran Huy Sang said that the procedure might be applied to positions up to deputy director of a municipal department.

Recruitment would be conducted publicly and transparently to ensure the principles of equality and competitiveness, he said.

According to Sang, the city used a test model for recruiting the director of the city's Department for Planning and Architecture in 2010.

At the test, two deputy directors who were competing were asked to state their plans of action - and then to defend them.

Under the programme, by 2015, the city targets to employ 80 per cent of its civil servants from universities.

City authorities have asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue clear regulations on how to attract talented persons.

They also suggested the Ministry of Education and Training introduce a common system to calculate examination results at the end of courses for tertiary and vocational students, he said.

This would help recruiters give fair assessments and elect the most suitable candidates.

Statistics from the department show that last year, about 1,300 candidates were chosen for civil servants at commune level and 7,500 others were elected to work for the local education sector.

Nearly 40 students with outstanding marks have been recruited as civil servants in the city since 2009.

Central Da Nang City and northern Quang Ninh Province have already applied the test-based recruitment for civil servant positions.

Source: VNS