The Parliament, as the house of elected public representatives, remains a unique state institution that not only manifests aspirations of the people of the country but more importantly performs the demanding tasks of representation, legislation, oversight of the Executive and policy review that leaves no stone unturned in influencing, guiding and holding accountable any government so that the state respects, protects and fulfills the will of the masses.
In this context, immediately after any elections, Members of Parliament are expected to transform themselves from local politician into a seasoned Parliamentarian who becomes well versed, in the shortest possible time, with the key concepts, principles and various tool of parliamentary working. As a result of this rapid change, there is often a need for formal and informal avenues for knowledge sharing, research-based analysis and capacity building that would fall under the definition of ‘Parliamentary Professional Development’.